The Curia Iulia and mythologization of the Battle of Actium

Abstract

On 2 September 31 BC a battle took place near the promontory of Actium between the fleet of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII Philopator. Octavian’s victory in this battle marked the end of the Roman civil wars of 44-31 BC. It is believed that architecture, both in Rome and beyond, was used to mythologize the battle of Actium. Octavian completed the construction of the building of the Roman Senate - the curia in 29 BC in Rome. The paper considers the exterior and interior of the curia in order to answer the question, whether or not the visual program of the building alludes to victory in the 31 BC battle. In our opinion, there are three types of architectural and decorative elements. The features of the first type allude exclusively to the victory in the battle of Actium. The elements of the second type relate to the victory in 31 BC but also have other ideological meanings. The features of the third type are not connected with the victory: they have a completely different message. The Senate house’s visual program had several ideological messages; nevertheless, glorification of the victories over Egypt and in the battle of Actium played an essential role among them. Not only elements of the exterior of the building but also those of the interior referred to the victory which made Octavian ruler of Rome. These features established Octavian’s image as the victor.