Image and Authority
This chapter investigates the role of authorities in the production of images in Roman culture. It focuses on imperial art of the Julio-Claudian period by analyzing significant visual and literary evidence in order to reconstruct social interactions and power relations among agents such as the emperor, the Senate and People of Rome, provincial elites, artists, and soldiers. The first part of the chapter addresses the question of how the images of public monuments erected within the city of Rome reflect the interests of the parties involved. This leads to some general considerations about authority and auctoritas in Roman society. The following section discusses the intentions of the local elites who initiated the construction of imperial monuments in provincial cities, interpreting the specific visual language of the decoration of these monuments. Finally, the impact of imperial motifs and themes on images in the military and private realm is discussed.