Usurping History and Building Legitimacy in Severan Rome

Architecture and imagery played a significant role in validating the imperial authority of Lucius Septimius Severus who claimed the role of emperor when civil war was erupting in 193 following the murder of Pertinax. Many of the monuments in Rome commissioned by Severus served to further his political goals: establishing his legitimacy as emperor, broadcasting visions of prosperity​ and stability, and founding a new imperial dynasty. This talk focuses on projects undertaken in the Roman Forum. Since the time of the Late Republic, the Roman Forum had become increasingly museum-like, filled with honorific monuments representing Roman power and authority. Severus laid claim to this space in a way not seen since the reign of Augustus. By restoring select buildings and adding new monuments to the space, Severus reshaped the lower forum to create the atmosphere of an imperial forum, similar to the nearby Forums of Augustus or Trajan but without needing to acquire land and build a new public square. Just as he had seized political and military power, so Severus usurped the age-old manifestation of that authority, the Roman Forum.