Shields with a Message

Among many other things, Augustus Caesar was a political genius. He understood that true power lay with the favor of the people. To achieve this power, he needed the population to see him as a rightful ruler, without it seeming like he was behind it all. One way he went about doing winning over the people was appointing the Roman writer, Vergil, to write a “history” of the founding of Rome. But the motive of making this story was much more than just for entertainment- it was to paint Augustus as the rightful and destined ruler of Rome. Not only did the Aeneid make Augustus look good, but it negatively portrayed his rivals by likening the antagonist Dido to Augustus’s rival, Marcus, and Marcus's lover, Cleopatra. Through specific choices and aspects of the Aeneid, such as the detailed description of Aeneas’s shield, Augustus was perceived by the reader as the prophesied leader of Rome.

The Romans actually believed the events of Virgil’s Aeneid occurred. They believed that Aeneas left Troy, traveled far and had many adventures ending in the defeat of Turnus and the subsequent founding of Rome. Much has occurred since the Aeneid’s beginning during the battle of Troy to over a thousand years later when Augustus took the throne, and the shield of Aeneas bridges them through a sequence of events displayed on the shield.  In actuality, the shield was very much symbolic, and “represented...a poet’s symbolic imagination, not an art critic’s description” (Williams 8). The shield, along with other portions of the Aeneid “ensures…a legitimate role for Augustus as primas inter pares” (Grebe 35), or the first man among equals as well as the divine ruler.

The shield of Aeneas symbolizes the history of Rome and all that occurred to be where it is now with Augustus as its ruler. The shield’s decoration includes numerous events of Rome’s history- both fact and (whether the Romans knew it or not) fiction. Among the events are Romulus and Remus and the Rape of the Sabine Women, but at the center lay the Battle of Actium, where Augustus defeated his foes and brought peace to Rome. Also in the center, lay the “hero” of Rome- Augustus- leading the SPQR. Having Augustus at the center of the shield symbolizes him as the cumulation of Rome’s history. His placement represents how all that has happened to Rome led up to Augustus leading Rome, and how he will lead them to a new golden age. When a Roman reads this, they’re going to see Augustus’s reign as destiny.

If I had a shield, it would be centered around American colonial culture. I’m quite familiar with this culture, having studied it multiple times throughout my education. In addition, I lived in a suburb outside Boston for three years, and they were really proud to educate their colonial history. The shield would be colored red, white, and blue, with 13 stars on the border, representing each colony. This piece of art would be created around the Revolutionary War, when the colonies were trying to gain independence from the British Empire.

This shield would be separated into 6 different sections, with a circle in the middle. The first section would contain a map of the 13 colonies, but with no borders in between. This lack of barriers symbolize a unity between the Colonies that transcends colony border lines. The second section would contain an engraving of the Declaration of Independence. This document is important because it represented the separation of the Colonies from their oppressive rulers.

The third section of the shield would be two lanterns parallel to each other. These lanterns would refer to the two lanterns Paul Revere saw in the Old North Church in Boston, which meant that the British were coming to Boston by sea (Longfellow 1). He heroically rode out west through the towns to warn that the British were coming. The fourth section would be two muskets crossed, forming an “X”, with an olive branch underneath which represents peace (Sarafa 1). This formation would symbolize that war was needed to protect and achieve lasting peace.

The fifth section of the shield would contain a lush forest with birds, flowers, and animals. The sixth section would show tilled farmland with a town in the distance. These two sections would both represent the land that the colonists are protecting and are trying to make their own. At the center of it all, there would be an engraving of a family: a mother, a father, a son, and a daughter. They would be smiling and holding hands. This engraving would represent the ultimate goal: to live in peace, under fair rule, with their loved ones around them.

Of course, this shield would not actually be used in combat during the Revolutionary War. But this shield would be used as a symbol of the Colonies’ fight, as well as a symbol of hope, and a reminder of what this war is about.

References

GREBE, SABINE. “Augustus' Divine Authority and Vergil's ‘Aeneid.’” Vergilius (1959-), vol. 50, 2004, pp. 35–62. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41587284. Accessed 10 Apr. 2020.

LONGFELLOW, HENRY W. “Paul Revere's Ride.” New England Journal of Education, vol. 1, no. 16, 1875, pp. 181–181. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44765996. Accessed 10 Apr. 2020.

SARAFA, RAMI. “Roots of Conflict: Felling Palestine's Olive Tress.” Harvard International Review, vol. 26, no. 1, 2004, pp. 13–13. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43649049. Accessed 10 Apr. 2020.

Williams, R. D. “THE SHIELD OF AENEAS.” Vergilius (1959-), no. 27, 1981, pp. 8–11. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41591854. Accessed 10 Apr. 2020.