Please read this article about the Pax Romana pLinks to an external site.eriod in Rome.

https://www.studentsofhistory.com/the-pax-romana

After reading about Augustus, it is clear that he used lots of propaganda to boast about his title as a divine leader. He declared to descend from the divine lineage of Venus, the goddess of love. He was praised as one of the greatest leaders of all time. Above all, he was known for the pax romana: a 200-year-long timespan of Roman history that is identified as a period and as a golden age of increased as well as sustained Roman imperialism, relative peace and order, prosperous stability, hegemonial power, and regional expansion.

He even built the Ara Pacis, which represents the golden age of Rome that Augustus helped sustain. This panel on the Ara Pacis is supposed to be an allegorical representation of Rome:

Tellus (or Pax) Panel, Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace) 9 B.C.E. (Ara Pacis Museum, Rome) (photo: Steven ZuckerLinks to an external site., CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

“The better-preserved panel of the east wall depicts a seated female figure (above) who has been variously interpreted as Tellus (the Earth), Italia (Italy), Pax (Peace), as well as Venus. The panel depicts a scene of human fertility and natural abundance. Two babies sit on the lap of the seated female, tugging at her drapery. Surrounding the central female is the natural abundance of the lands and flanking her are the personifications of the land and sea breezes. In all, whether the goddess is taken as Tellus or Pax, the theme stressed is the harmony and abundance of Italy, a theme central to Augustus’ message of a restored peaceful state for the Roman people—the Pax Romana.”

The woman in the center is plump. Her breasts are full, and carries two children on her lap. She is surrounded by animals and plants. This woman is meant to represent Rome and the state of abundance it was in during this time, thanks to Augustus. However, at what cost?

This is the image we usually learn about in art history to tell the story of Rome’s greatness and the beauty of classical Roman art.

Below is an excerpt that Calgacus wrote. He was a Caledonian Chieftan, and he wrote this describing Rome during the pax romana. It offers a different point of view from an outsider’s perspective. This is an important reminder that history is always written by the victors and is usually biased.

Calgacus, Caledonian (Scottish) chieftain (83-84 CE), describing Rome: 

“[Romans are] robbers of the world, having their universal plunder exhausted the and, they rifle the deep. If the enemy be rich, they are rapacious; if he be poor, they lust for dominion; neither the east nor the west has been able to satisfy them. Alone among men they covet with equal eagerness poverty and riches. To robbery, slaughter, and plunder, they give the lying name of ‘empire’; they make a wasteland and call it peace. 

“Nature has willed that every man’s children and kindred should be his dearest objects. Yet these are torn from us by conscriptions to be slaves elsewhere. Our wives and our sisters, even though they may e scape violation from the enemy, are dishonored under the names of friendships and hospitality. Our goods and fortunes they collect for their tribute, our harvests for their granaries. Our very hands and bodies, under the last and in the midst of insult, are worn down by the toil of clearing forests and morasses. “

-Tacitus Agricola 30-31

Write a short response to the questions below:

Describe the age of the Pax Romana in your own words

How does the Tellus panel support the age of the Pax Romana?

In your own words, summarize what Calgacus is saying in the passage above. Whose point of view are we viewing the golden age of Rome?

Why is it important to consider alternative perspectives of historical events?

Can you think of any contemporary examples that this passage reminds you of? For example, are there any countries or leaders alive today (or from their recent past) that are doing something similar?