RomaPolacchi

Anthony Everitt, who brought us biographies of Cicero and Augustus, has just published a new book about the emperor Hadrian. While I haven't read it yet, I am a great fan of his last two books. Everitt is a conscientious scholar and his portrayal of Cicero was entertaining and intriguing. Augustus was a more shadowy figure and the lack of personal correspondence made his personality very difficult to pin down. I am curious to see how he portrays Hadrian, whose reign is well-documented but whose personal life was difficult to interpret. Read a review of the book in The New Yorker or buy it here.

The emperor Augustus built the Ara Pacis (the Altar of Peace) in 9 BCE to commemorate his new era of peace after a century of civil wars in Rome. The altar is a masterpiece of classical sculpture, depicting various images of fertility, peace, Roman history and Republican values. The altar was recently installed a new museum designed by Richard Meier. Last summer, the Italian designer Valentino, who is preparing to retire, staged a retrospective exhibit of his designs in the museum. You can visit the museum and the altar, nestled between the Mausoleum of Augustus and the Tiber River, Tuesdays through Sundays 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.

You may notice that Egyptian obelisks feature prominently in almost every piazza. There are thirteen obelisks in Rome which came from Egypt or were made in Rome. The first obelisks came to Italy from Egypt with Augustus (then called Octavian) after his defeat of Antony and Cleopatra in 30 BCE. The obelisk in the Piazza della Rotonda in front of the Pantheon was commissioned by the pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BCE and erected in front of the temple of Ra in Heliopolis, Egypt. The obelisk was brought to Rome in the 1st century BCE and set up in the Temple of Isis. In 1711 Pope Clemens XI moved the obelisk to a fountain in the Piazza della Rotonda and placed the Chigi family crest, an 8 sided star above 6 mountains, atop it.

The emperor Augustus has always been enigmatic. Anthony Everitt attempts to shed light on Augustus the man-his motivations, his relationships, his desires. Alas, even though we have many contemporary accounts of Augustus' life, the dearth of sources who were on intimate terms with the emperor keeps him in the shadows. If you are at all interested in the fall of Republican Rome, then Anthony Everitt's attention to detail will intrigue you. You will find many references to famous Roman writers and even to Augustus' own (impersonal) autobiography, the Res Gestae. My only complaint is the lack of footnotes and citation within the text directing the reader to those ancient authors to learn more. The end of the book does include a source list by chapter for reference. Augustus