Special Episode – The Ara Pacis and Livia’s Villa with Dr Victoria Austen

Understanding ancient monuments requires a careful eye as well as detective work to delve into the representations and their layers of meaning. In this interview we are joined by Dr Victoria Austen to consider the representation of foliage on the Ara Pacis Augustae and the Garden Room of Livia’s villa. Both these structures hold a special place for scholars interested in the Augustan period and studying them together reveals fruitful connections for considering the messages Augustus sought to convey about his rule.

Special Episode – The Ara Pacis and Livia's Villa with Dr Victoria Austen

Dr Victoria Austen holds a MA and PhD from King’s College London. She has lectured in the Classics at the University of Winnipeg and is currently the Robert A. Oden, Jr. Postdoctoral Fellow for Innovation in the Humanities and Classics at Carleton College, Minnesota. Her research interests span the Latin literature of the Late Republic and Early Empire; ancient Roman gardens and landscapes; race and ethnicity in the ancient world; the reception of classical myth; and the integration of digital humanities into the classroom. Austen’s monograph Analysing the Boundaries of the Roman Garden: (Re)Framing the Hortus is forthcoming in 2023 as part of the Bloomsbury Ancient Environments Series.

The Ara Pacis Augustae

The Altar of Augustan Peace is considered one of the outstanding monuments from the reign of Augustus. It’s packed with images and is most famous for its processional friezes and the friezes that depict various deities. But when you encounter the Ara Pacis, you're at eye level with the acanthus friezes – highly stylised displays of foliage and small animals. It is these acanthus friezes that we consider with Dr Austen.

The acanthus friezes of the Ara Pacis dominate the lower register of the exterior.
They were originally highly saturated and striking in colour.

One of the acanthus friezes up close. The foliage grows out from an acanthus base and as the tendrils progress they seem to change into different plants. At the top of the frieze you might even spot two swans on either side of the main stem.
Thanks to Dr Victoria Austen for this photo.

The Garden Room of Livia’s Villa

A more private setting than the Ara Pacis, Livia’s villa is nonetheless an important example for considering the ways in which garden imagery was utilised during the Augustan regime. Dr Austen takes us on a tour of the Garden Room delving into the imagery and how understanding this room can help us better appreciate the Ara Pacis as well.