Augustus of Prima Porta

[upbeat music] Today, I'm delighted to welcome from Birmingham University, Dr. Hannah Cornwell, expert in all things Late Republic and early Empire, and currently working on a book on diplomacy in the Roman world.

But she's gonna be talking to us about one very special statue, the Prima Porta statue.

Before we think about the image of the Parthian standards, let's just do a bit of background here.

So where is Parthia?

So wh- where does this one fit?

So I think it's helpful for thinking about Augustus as what we might call the first emperor of Rome, that he doesn't just have one aspect.

The title emperor, in Latin imperator, is derived from military power, and in the Prima Porta he is a military commander, an imperator, or a dux, military leader in Latin, addressing his troops.

But as we've discussed, there's a lot more going on on the breastplate and with the Cupid and the dolphin.

Today, I'm delighted to welcome from Birmingham University, Dr. Hannah Cornwell, expert in all things late Republic and early Empire, and currently working on a book on diplomacy in the Roman world.

But she's going to be talking to us about one very special statue, the Prima Porta statue.

Hannah, it's really wonderful to have you with us.

And why don't we dive straight in? So tell us, first of all, when and where was this statue set up? Who set it up? And who got to look at it?

Pleasure to be here, James.

Yeah, the Prima Porta statue is absolutely fascinating.

And it's kind of the example par excellence when we think of Augustus and the imperial image.

The statue was found on the 20th of April in 1863 at a site about 15 kilometers north of the city of Rome.