Classical Association Lecture | Divine Legitimisation in the Early Empire.

Wednesday 4th March 2026 | 6pm

In association with the Classical Association.

Dr Amber Gartrell (Newcastle University and Royal Holloway University of London), Divine Legitimisation in the Early Empire.

During the tumultuous years of the Late Republic, many prominent men sought to distinguish themselves from their political rivals using a variety of tactics. Some advertised their impressive military campaigns and triumphs whilst others built monumental complexes in the city of Rome for the people to enjoy. One strategy that grew in prominence was for these powerful individuals to claim a close and personal relationship with a particular deity, who might, therefore, be thought to protect them and elevate them above other mortals. Julius Caesar boasted that his family descended from the goddess Venus and the god Apollo was depicted as leading Augustus' navy against Cleopatra and Mark Antony at the crucial battle of Actium. During this paper, I shall explore the development of these claims to divine support and interrogate how and why they might legitimise claims to political power; to what extent did they help Augustus successfully establish the first dynasty of emperors and a new system of government?

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