Myth at the heart of the Roman Empire - for iPad/Mac/PC
Share:
Listens: 57
About
How and why did ancient Romans use myth to validate their power? Emperor Augustus legitimised his rule by entwining his own ancestry with the mythical stories of Rome's foundation, and created a divine aura around Rome as capital of the vast empire. This album visits key emblems associated with Rome's beginnings: the Forum and the Capitoline Hill with its statue of the she-wolf and Romulus and Remus; the Emperor Augustus's palace and ceremonial altar, and the 17th Century D'Arpino frescos of foundation myths commissioned by Pope Innocent X to underpin his authority. By monumentalising and glorifying their real and legendary past, Romans painted their own history and this continues to encapsulate Roman identity today. This material forms part of The Open University course A330 Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds.
The foundation of Rome
An introduction to the stories of the foundation of Rome and how these myths reinforce Roman identity even today.
The House of Augustus
Insights into how Emperor Augustus connected himself to the foundational myths and gods of Rome.
The Ara Pacis
How this monument conveys messages of the abundance and power of the Roman Empire under Augustus.
The wolf and twins sculpture
How this statue embodies the beginnings of the illustrious history of the Roman Empire.
The Lapis Niger
How the Lapis Niger, within the Roman Forum, becomes a significant memorial for the foundation myths of ancient Rome.
The D'Arpino frescoes
How the 17th century Pope Innocent X stressed his own continuity with ancient Rome's foundational myths by commissioning these stunning pictures.
A330: Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds
How story and myth are embedded into the monuments and artefacts of ancient Greece and Rome.
Myth and the Roman Empire
Open University academic Valerie Hope talks about choices behind the material in this album.
Why study myth?
Chris Emlyn-Jones, Valerie Hope and Paula James reveal the enduring importance of myth.