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Myth at the heart of the Roman Empire - for iPod/iPhone

How and why did ancient Romans use myth to validate their power? Emperor Augustus legitimised his rule by entwining his own ancestry with the mythical stories of Rome's foundation, and created a divine aura around Rome as capital of the vast empire. This album visits key emblems associated with Rome's beginnings: the Forum and the Capitoline Hill with its statue of the she-wolf and Romulus and Remus; the Emperor Augustus's palace and ceremonial altar, and the 17th Century D'Arpino frescos of foundation myths commissioned by Pope Innocent X to underpin his authority. By monumentalising and glorifying their real and legendary past, Romans painted their own history and this continues to encapsulate Roman identity today. This material forms part of The Open University course A330 Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds.

  • 1 minute 18 seconds
    Myth at the heart of the Roman Empire
    A short introduction to this album.
    17 August 2010, 1:40 pm
  • Transcript -- Myth at the heart of the Roman Empire
    Transcript -- A short introduction to this album.
    17 August 2010, 1:40 pm
  • 4 minutes 19 seconds
    The foundation of Rome
    An introduction to the stories of the foundation of Rome and how these myths reinforce Roman identity even today.
    17 August 2010, 1:39 pm
  • Transcript -- The foundation of Rome
    Transcript -- An introduction to the stories of the foundation of Rome and how these myths reinforce Roman identity even today.
    17 August 2010, 1:39 pm
  • 5 minutes 31 seconds
    The House of Augustus
    Insights into how Emperor Augustus connected himself to the foundational myths and gods of Rome.
    17 August 2010, 1:38 pm
  • Transcript -- The House of Augustus
    Transcript -- Insights into how Emperor Augustus connected himself to the foundational myths and gods of Rome.
    17 August 2010, 1:38 pm
  • 6 minutes 19 seconds
    The Ara Pacis
    How this monument conveys messages of the abundance and power of the Roman Empire under Augustus.
    17 August 2010, 1:37 pm
  • Transcript -- The Ara Pacis
    Transcript -- How this monument conveys messages of the abundance and power of the Roman Empire under Augustus.
    17 August 2010, 1:37 pm
  • 5 minutes
    The wolf and twins sculpture
    How this statue embodies the beginnings of the illustrious history of the Roman Empire.
    17 August 2010, 1:36 pm
  • Transcript -- The wolf and twins sculpture
    Transcript -- How this statue embodies the beginnings of the illustrious history of the Roman Empire.
    17 August 2010, 1:36 pm
  • 5 minutes 26 seconds
    The Lapis Niger
    How the Lapis Niger, within the Roman Forum, becomes a significant memorial for the foundation myths of ancient Rome.
    17 August 2010, 1:35 pm
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