Chapter Seven. The Impact Of The Gallery Of Heroes

While a great deal of attention has been devoted to the Forum of Augustus, there has been no corresponding attempt to estimate its actual impression, the success of the Princeps' scheme. This chapter focuses on the impact of Augustus' Gallery of Heroes. Ovid's description, put into the mouth of Mars, must reflect, to some extent at least, the response of the poet himself. In fact, it is of some interest that, when Ovid recalls the Forum from distant Tomi, it is the Temple of Mars with the statues of Venus, Mars and Vulcan that is imprinted on his mind. The chapter then focuses on literary collections of famous Romans. The most remarkable feature of the Roman lists is their restriction to Republican personages; also the later chapters are almost exclusively Republican. This aspect of the work is most naturally explained by reliance on Augustan sources.Keywords: Augustus; Gallery of Heroes; Ovid

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