The museum of Ancient Arts celebrates emperor Augustus
A trip to Museum of Ancient Art at Aarhus University last Tuesday was like taking a giant step back in time. The day marked 2000th anniversary of the death of emperor Augustus, a red-letter day which was honoured with exciting lectures, live legions and Roman food, which made you feel like you were back in the ancient Roman Empire.
Great passion for Augustus and ancient Rome was displayed in the Museum of Ancient Arts last Tuesday, which was the exact date of the 2000th anniversary of Augustus´ death. Augustus was not only the first Roman emperor ever, he was also one of the most important Roman emperors, says Associate Professor Vinnie Nørskov, who is an employee at the museum, ad who was also the project manager of the event.
We can thank Augustus for a good deal of our historical heritage. Therefore, it is interesting to celebrate a red-letter day like today, so that we are able to reflect upon our history, and understand its significance, she says.
Full house for a full programme
The Museum of Ancient Arts was, in honor of the occasion, filled with interested visitors of all ages. Especially many young people had found their way to the museum, as many high school teachers had seized the opportunity of bringing their student to the event.
With this kind of event, we are trying to reach a target group somewhat different from the people from the university, as campus is still pretty de, in the wake of the summer holidays. I have therefore sent special invitations to primary and secondary schools, and I am delighted to see that so many people have showed up" she says.
The programme of the day provided great opportunities to learn about Augustus and the Roman Empire. From 10-18, there was a new lecture every half hour, each of around one hour´s duration. The many lectures gave a varied insight into Augustus and the Roman Empire, and there is great reason to dig into history, Vinnie Nørskov believes. "Augustus was the founder of the Roman Empire, and the Roman Empire is of great importance to our culture. From there, we have, among other things. written language, philosophy and Religion. Jesus, for example, born while Augustus, emperor," she says.
Almost like being there
Besides lectures, there were many other exciting things on the agenda. According to Vinnie Nørskov, it is essential to re-enact ancient times, in order to be able to understand history. For this to become evident, one only needed to take a look the lawn in front of the museum, where many Roman legions from the Danish Re-enactment group Roman Danes had set up camp. With their passion for the Roman Empire and their authentic outfit, they made a vital contribution to the dissemination of knowledge on ancient times.
They, too, believe that Augustus is worth remembering. "He was, of course, a significant Figure, which, who, by founding the Roman Empire, helped create a whole new kind of structure. Before Augustus came into power, chaos reigned, but he managed to create a united state, which was not plagued by civil wars," says Allan Jørgensen, a member of the association LEGIO WE VICTRIX COHORS II Cimbria, which provided the Roman legions.
Even the food was an embodiment of ancient times. Students from Classical Archaeology provided examples of Roman cuisine, serving, among other things, coarse bread, a strong garlic cheese, spicy honey wine, dates and much more.