What is it about?
There are three exant narratives of Augustus' treatment of eighty silver statues: Augustus' own Res Gestae Divi Augusti, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio. Whereas Suetonius and Augustus emphasize Augustus’ correction of the statues as a pious act and a statement on imperial honors, Dio overlooks honors and gods, instead revealing how the statues funded road repairs. In his history, Dio adapts the narrative to underscore the gap between the reality and the appearance of events: here, the exchange of statues for monetary gifts in Augustan Rome.
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I thank the editors, my colleagues, peers, and friends for their help in bringing this article to fruition. I hope readers enjoy my conclusions on the connection between text and culture, and that it may help inspire further research.
Claire McGraw
Louisiana State University
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This page is a summary of: Statues, Roads, and Money, Mnemosyne, January 2024, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/1568525x-bja10249.
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