Augustus, Domitian, and the So-called Horologium Augusti

Heslin, Peter J.

Abstract

Buchner’s reconstruction of the Horologium Augusti continues to be influential, despite fatal flaws demonstrated by Rodrίguez-Almeida and Schütz; so we begin by reviewing the state of the evidence. There is no credible indication that Augustus or his successors built an extensive sundial, so we must conclude with Schütz that what Pliny described and what the excavations of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) uncovered was a solar meridian line. We then proceed to discuss its significance in the context of the Augustan building programme. Since the DAI in fact discovered a Flavian reconstruction, the final question to be addressed is what purpose it served Domitian to rebuild a largely symbolic Augustan instrument that had grown inaccurate over time.

Citation

Heslin, P. J. (2007). Augustus, Domitian, and the So-called Horologium Augusti. The Journal of Roman Studies, 97, 1-20

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2007
• Deposit Date: Jul 15, 2008
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 20, 2010
• Journal: Journal of Roman Studies
• Print ISSN: 0075-4358
• Electronic ISSN: 1753-528X
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 97
• Pages: 1-20
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1533794
• Publisher URL: http://www.romansociety.org/publications/journals/journal-of-roman-studies/content-and-abstracts.html