The Temple of Roma and Augustus: Monumental Negotiations of Identity on the Athenian Acropolis

Tucked into a corner of the Athenian Acropolis, the Temple of Roma and Augustus is often understudied in scholarship as it is dwarfed (literally and figuratively) by the monumental structures surrounding it. Yet despite its rather modest proportions, the Temple of Roma and Augustus should loom large because of the associations it draws upon through its position on the Acropolis and its relation to the surrounding monumental buildings. The position and form of the Temple was meant to link it to the Persian Wars symbolism of the spatial environment in order to promote Augustus' victory over the Parthians. It was framed to offer a symbolic message appealing to Rome but in a context that glorified Athens. This paper attempts to show that while the construction of the monument was commissioned by the imperial cult, its design and location were influenced by the art and architecture of Augustan Rome.