Il Foro di Augusto. Cronologia e progetto

Filippo Coarelli (Perugia; BSR) The construction of the Forum of Augustus has been attributed, starting from an article by Attilio Degrassi in 1945, to a very late stage in the Augustan period: the inauguration date in 2 BC is certain, while the start of construction is controversial, and Degrassi places it around 13-12 BC. However, a reexamination of the available documentation, particularly literary texts, allows us to raise this latter date to the period immediately following Octavian's great triumph in 29 BC. This also allows us to reevaluate the old hypothesis, now refuted, that recognized the statuary decoration of the square, which included the series of Ancestors of the gens Iulia starting with the kings of Alba Longa, as the source of inspiration for Book VI of Virgil's Aeneid. Another result of this reexamination is the possibility of recognizing the "Hall of the Colossus," which closes the left portico of the Forum of Augustus, as an ideological manifestation inspired by the myth of Alexander, at a time when the emperor used the image of the Macedonian as a means of political propaganda, starting with his own personal seal. Born in Rome on June 9, 1936, he taught at the Universities of Rome, Siena, Cosenza, and Perugia. He is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Perugia, where from 1981 to 2008 he was Full Professor of Roman History, teaching "Greek and Roman Antiquities" and "Religions of the Classical World." From 1978, he directed the excavations of the Latin colony of Fregellae (Ceprano, Frosinone) and subsequently the excavations of Falacrinae (Città Reale, Rieti). Since 2003, in collaboration with the Superintendency of Lazio, he has directed the excavations of the Sanctuary of Diana in Nemi. He is the author of over 500 scientific and popular publications. His main interests are the topography and history of Rome and ancient Italy, and Hellenistic and Republican art. He directed and partly wrote the series of Archaeological Guides published by Laterza. He is the creator of the exhibition "Middle Republican Rome" (Capitoline Museums, 1973) and the exhibition for the bimillenary anniversary of the Flavians, "Divus Vespasianus" (Colosseum and Curia Senatus, 2009). He has been an editor since the founding of the journal "Dialoghi di Archeologia," founded by Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli. He has received honorary degrees from the Universities of Tours and Clermont-Ferrand, the Sorbonne, Oulu (Finland), and Alicante. He is a member of the Academia Europaea, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the Académie des Inscriptions et de Belles Lettres, the British Academy, the Société des Antiquaires de France, and the Institute of Etruscan Studies. He received the gold medal of the Italian Republic for merit in education, culture, and art.