The Ancient History seminar at the Institute of Classical Studies will be hosting a seminar from Konstantinos Zachos, From Actium to Rome: The Tropaeum of the Actian Victory at Nicopolis and the Visual Language of Augustan Triumph
Dr Zachos is emeritus curator of Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture and is a leading figure in the excavation and publication of the monuments at Nicopolis and the archaeology of Epirus, the Peloponnesos, the Cyclades, Leukada, and of Albania.
The seminar will take place in Senate House, Room 264, at 4.30 on April 30th. This will be a hybrid event, but booking is essential for hybrid access through here.
Abstract
This talk presents the results of a long-term interdisciplinary research project on the Victory Monument of Augustus at Nicopolis—a monumental and permanent tropaeum—recently completed with the publication of its third volume. Erected on the hill where Octavian established his headquarters prior to the naval battle of Actium (31 BC), the monument commemorates a decisive turning point in the history of the ancient world and constitutes a seminal expression of emerging Augustan imperial ideology. As a constructed and enduring trophy of victory, rather than an ephemeral battlefield marker, the complex functioned through its architectural design and carefully articulated iconographic programme as a powerful medium for the projection of political authority and the legitimisation of Augustus’ rule.
The talk will outline the principal findings of the excavation and study of the monument, including its architectural reconstruction, the analysis of the Latin dedicatory inscription, and the interpretation of the thirty-five sockets that once held the rams of captured ships from the fleets of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Particular attention will be devoted to the monumental altar on the upper terrace, constructed of Pentelic marble, whose discovery in a highly fragmentary state necessitated an extensive and meticulous programme of conservation and reassembly, enabling the partial reconstruction of both its architectural form and sculptural decoration.
Within this framework, special emphasis will be placed on the sculpted friezes, and especially on the upper frieze depicting the triumphal procession celebrated by Augustus in Rome on 14 August 29 BC. This event formed the second in a sequence of three triumphs celebrated on consecutive days: the first was dedicated to his victories in Illyricum, the second to the victory at Actium (2 September 31 BC), and the third to the conquest of Aegyptus. The analysis will focus on the visual language and narrative structure of the procession, examining its staging and scenography, the hierarchy and roles of the participating figures, and the symbolic codification of power embedded within this highly orchestrated ceremonial performance. In particular, it will explore the ideological messages conveyed through the representation, and the ways in which the triumph was transformed into a lasting visual statement of victory, legitimacy, and universal dominion.
By situating the monument of Nicopolis within the broader context of Augustan visual culture, the talk aims to illuminate the dynamic interplay between monumentality, ritual, and representation in the formation of early imperial ideology, and to highlight the monument as a paradigmatic example of the tropaeum as a medium for the articulation of the visual language of Roman triumph.
Note: this is not a Classical Association event – please contact the organisers directly with any enquiries.