Mythology in Art: the Ara Pacis and the Parthenon

Paper Summary:

This paper begins by focusing on the Ara Pacis and then moves on to the Parthenon. Its argument is that both of these structures serve as sources of legitimization of power and that the means of this legitimization is mythology.

From the Paper:

"Two works of art, the Ara Pacis monument and the Parthenon, exemplify the use of mythology as a tool of legitimization. In each case, the patrons sought to solidify their power by associating their societies with the gods. In the case of the Ara Pacis (fig. 1), Augustus sought to revitalize the Roman state to its former grandeur by building a monument to peace and a virtuous society. As David Castriota states, in The Ara Pacis Augustae: "The Ara Pacis was a complex creation intended to embody the ideology of the Roman state at a pivotal stage of its development Augustus and the ruling Roman elite were committed to the belief that the Roman state could meet the imperial challenge only by renewing and revitalizing popular belief in the national mores and institutions which had been progressively eroded by the decades of military and political strife, social unrest, and cultural confrontation endemic to the Late Republic (3)." In the case of the Parthenon, Pericles sought to associate the victory of Athens over the Persians (in the Persian war) with the gods. This war began in 499 B.C. and stretched into the year 480 B.C., when the Persians sacked Athens (Skokstad 178). The temple was dedicated to Athena, the goddess of victory in war. Pericles claimed that she helped the Athenians vanquish over the Persians."

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