Augustus. Master of propaganda and self-dramatization
January 27, 2015
On Tuesday, January 27, the ancient historian Prof. Dr. Holger Sonnabend from the Department of History at the University of Stuttgart will give a lecture on the first Roman emperor Augustus and his skillful use of propaganda. The event is part of the lecture series organized by the Department of Ancient History at Osnabrück University and the Research Centre Rome and Germania in cooperation with the Varus Society and begins at 18:00 s.t. in the main building of Osnabrück Castle, Room 11/215, Neuer Graben, 49074 Osnabrück. Guests are welcome, admission is free.
With the Principate, Augustus installed a new, monarchical system of rule in Rome in the 1st century BC. The new system had to be anchored in a society that looked back on the centuries-old tradition of the Republic. Augustus therefore developed a highly effective, almost modern-looking propaganda toolkit to influence public opinion. In this way, he gave the impression of caring for the welfare of the state until his last breath. The lecture provides the most important facts and explanations for an early case of perfect political staging.
The speaker, Prof. Dr. Holger Sonnabend, is not only a researcher, but also a well-known mediator of ancient history. He is a professor at the University of Stuttgart as well as a consultant for historical exhibitions, leader of study trips in the Mediterranean region and a sought-after expert in radio and TV programs on the subject of antiquity. In addition to specialist scientific articles, he publishes numerous articles in the magazine "Damals" and regularly appears before the general public with non-fiction books on the cultures of antiquity. He most recently dealt with the Emperor Augustus on the occasion of the 2000th anniversary of his death in his monograph "August 14: The Death of the Emperor Augustus".