How did Augustus use art to portray his ideals?: The Ara Pacis

This lesson is designed with the new OCR Classical Civilisation 9-1 GCSE in mind. Specifically, Paper 1 (Myth and Religion) topic 1.6 Myth and Symbols of Power. it is designed to run over 2 hour long lessons.

All worksheets referred to below are contained within the .ppt file in the appropriate places during the lesson which can be printed out and given to students. All instructions are also contained in the ‘notes’ section for each slide (in addition to helpful video links).

The lesson starts with a comprehension starter regarding how Augustus came to power and an accompanying video. There is then some class reading on the aims of Augustan art in general and the messages Augustus was keen to promote.

Students are then introduced to the Ara Pacis itself via Augustus himself through studying the appropriate part of the Res Gestae. A short OU video link is included to help students visualise the size of the Ara Pacis itself. A worksheet is then included ready to be printed off (pictured)looking at Ovid’s Fasti and what he has to say about the altar.

An in-depth look at the carvings one each frieze then follows with accompanying exam questions (8 and 15 markers).

In the plenary students are encourage to envisage their own version of the Ara Pacis and what it would depict.