The exquisite Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace) stands on a busy Roman thoroughfare near the Tiber River. Carved on the walls enclosing the altar is an elegant relief showing, among other things, a procession led by the emperor Augustus (63 B.C.-14 A.D.). Who would have guessed that this unassuming monument would become the center of scholarly and ideological controversies? Built between 13 and 9 B.C., the Ara Pacis was dedicated to Augustus by a senatorial decree, commemorating his return to Rome after three years’ residence in Gaul (Augustus spent much of his reign in the provinces). […]
