Pedersen
Karen Pedersen
Professor Martha Baumgarten
Art History T/Th 10 am
November 9, 2012
Augustus of Primaporta and the Stele of Naram Sin
My comparison paper will focus on the following two pieces: The Augusutus of
Primaporta, Roman art, early 1st century CE, and the Stele of Naram Sin, art of ancient near East,
2254 BCE. Each piece focuses on a great military hero and political leader. I will describe the
Augustus first and then the Naram Sin.
On September 23, 63 BC, in the city of Rome, Gaius Octavius was born. His father died
when he was 4 and Octavius was raised primarily by his grandmother, Julia Caesaris, (sister of
Julius Caesar). In 44 BC he was adopted by Julius Caesar and from thereafter was known as
Gaius Julius Casear Octavianus. He will not be known as Caesar Augustus until after the defeat
of Antony and Cleopatra in 30 BC1. The first Emperor of the Roman Empire, many considered
Augustus to be Rome’s greatest Emperor. The city of Rome was transformed under his rule and
his policies initiated the Pax Romana (The Roman Peace). He reformed the system of taxation,
developed roads and a courier system, established an army and created official police and fire
fighting services. Above all, he was the supreme military commander, as is seen in the marble
statue of Augustus that was discovered in 1863 in the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta, near Rome.
This is the place that Caesar’s wife, Livia, retired to. This famous sculpture is now housed at the
Vatican Museum. The dating of this piece is widely contested (possibly a marble copy of a
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Wikepedia, Augustus
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bronze original), but the original was dedicated
to Augustus by the Senate in 20 BC2. The
author of the statue is unknown. It is a great
monument to his victories as commander in
chief of the Roman army. Art underwent a lot
of changes during his reign with the realism
that dominated Roman art giving way to Greek
influence which idealized the portraits of the
emperors. This is an idealized image of
Augustus, shown as he would have wanted to
be seen, in his physical prime. The perfect
proportions of the piece were modeled after the
canon of the famous classical Greek sculptor,
Polykleitos3, whose contrapposto stance shows Augustus’ weight being supported by the
engaged right leg while his left leg is bent at the knee with the left foot poised on the ball of the
foot. Used as a Roman propaganda statue you see Augustus in the orator pose symbolizing that
his word as the ruling Emperor of Rome should be heeded. The figure of Cupid riding on the
dolphin at his feet represents the mythological belief that his family was descendants’ from the
Goddess Venus. His cuirass, or torso armor, is also covered with historical and mythological
relief images. In the center is thought to be the Parthian King returning Crassus’s standard to an
armored Roman. This was known as one of Augustus’s greatest victories. The two mourning
women on the breastplate represent the subjection of the Celts and the people in the East who
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Wikepedia, Augustus of Primaporta
Art History, 4th edition Vol 1, Marilyn Stokstad
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were forced to pay tributes to Rome. Also included on the cuirass is Sol, the sun god and the
earth goddess Ceres/Telus, along with Apollo, Diana, Aurora and Luna4. All these gods imply
that Augustus is divinely inspired, desired and ordained and that his rule has brought prosperity
and peace. There are also figures of a Sphinx on each shoulder signifying the defeat of
Cleopatra. Augustus never wished to be portrayed as a god, but this statue has references to his
“divine nature”. The fact that he is shown barefoot would imply that he is a hero and a god
because previously being barefoot was only allowed on
images of the gods. The function of this piece as a
propaganda work is obvious. It shows that Augustus is a
hero worthy of divine status and the best man to govern
Rome.
The first Mesopotamian king to have claimed
divinity for himself was the great warrior and ruler, Naram
Sin. He reigned over the Akkadians ca. 2254-2218 BCE,
and was known as the “King of the Four Quarters”, and as
the “God of Agade”5. He controlled a large portion of land
along the Persian Gulf. The precise site of the city has not
yet been found but one theory is that the ruins of Akkad lie beneath modern Baghdad. Naram
Sin ruled for 56 years and had an impressive list of military actions against various places. His
triumph over the Lullubi (modern day Iran) was the inspiration for The Victory stele of Naram
Sin, artist unknown. The stele was found at Susa (modern day Iran) and is now in the Louvre
Museum in France. It is six feet and seven inches tall and made from pink sandstone. A stele is
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Wikepedia, Augustus of Primaporta
Wikepedia, Naram-Sin of Akkad
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a stone or wooden slab erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated
with the names and titles of individuals it is carved in relief6. Engraved in hieratic scale, he is
seen towering over his organized army on the left and those who have been conquered on the
right are exposed as crushed underfoot, falling, fleeing, dying or begging for mercy. All are
looking to him as the focal point of the composition. This symbolic image portrays Naram Sin
with his shoulders frontal and head in profile, much like the distinctive Egyptian composite pose,
marching up towards the suns which depict the realm of the heavenly.7 In ancient Mesopotamia
male potency and vigor were directly related to power and dominance and Naram is portrayed as
a muscular man of authority.
Holding spear, bow & arrow and carrying an axe he wears a
horned helmut, all of which associates him with deity.
In comparison both pieces are dedicated to a great ruler and military hero. The subject
matter of each piece is similar as each depicts a ruler who claims a close association with deity
and is revered as such. The technique of relief sculpture on stone is a complete different process
than sculpting a human figure out of marble, and the style of the marble idealized sculpture of
Augustus with Greek classical ideals is in sharp contrast to the pink sandstone Stele of Naram
Sin seen in composite pose. Obviously the texture of the marble is smooth when compared to
the rough sandstone stele. There are many differences due to historical context and culture. One
is the type of clothing worn with Augustus in armor and Naram Sin in a type of loin cloth and a
helmut with horns. The stele lacks horses and chariots used during battle as seen on the
breastplate of Augustus with the relief sculptures on his torso armor being realistic as opposed to
the stylized warriors of the stele. The proportions, anatomy, and muscle definition found on
Augustus is much more realistic than the frontal pose of Naram. Augustus is shown barefoot
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Wikipedia, Stele
Smart History, Khan Academy
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while Naram has a type of sandal and you can see that he is heavily bearded compared to the
smooth, youth-like face of Augustus. Both pieces are fascinating in their own right and each
tells us a story of two different cultures.
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