The Pax Augusta

The subjugation of the Western provinces was celebrated by the dedication of an altar to Augustan Peace (the ara Pacis Augustae) at Rome. This chapter examines in detail the dedication of that highly complex, senatorial monument at Rome. The altar is, as far as the surviving evidence and our literary sources indicate, the first monumental display directly associated with the personified form of Pax. In this commemoration pax was qualified as ‘Augustan’ (pax augusta), and this may be understood as the first step towards pax becoming an imperial virtue. The analysis is then followed by an examination of the adoption of the worship of this cult within Augustus’ lifetime in different parts of the empire, as a means of engaging with a truly Augustan ideal. This chapter demonstrates how pax became a vehicle for expressing messages about Roman imperialism.