@mastersthesis {7538,
	title = {The Funerary Monuments of the Augustales in Italy},
	year = {1991},
	school = {UCLA},
	abstract = {The Augustales, freedman priests dedicated to the imperial cult in the municipalities of the western Roman empire, are briefly mentioned in ancient literary sources and recorded in over two thousand inscriptions. Scholarly analyses have established that freedmen, who were barred from holding public office because of their inferior legal status, attained prestige through membership in the priesthood, in exchange for financial contributions to their cities. Unresolved issues include: their exact functions; whether magisterial symbols were employed as official priestly insignia; and the social status, independence and typicality of freedman members.
Funerary monuments of the Augustales have not been systematically studied, despite the function of Roman tombs as a means of commemorating public careers and asserting social status. Certain variables of tomb design, unrelated to the requirements of Roman funerary ritual, are analyzed as possible indicators of social status: location, size, cost, typology and decoration. Monuments bearing representational decoration are catalogued, and the occurrence and geographical distribution of subject matter noted. Standard funerary motifs include sacrificial implements, and floral and sea motifs. Other decoration pertains to the personal histories of the deceased. These subjects include: portraits, professional scenes or attributes, public activities, and magisterial symbols such as honorary chairs and fasces.
The Augustales{\textquoteright} funerary monuments imitate those of local dignitaries and citizens of affluence, representing the priests as assimilated members of municipal elites. Reliefs usually supplement information provided in the inscription; customary religious duties of the priesthood are omitted. Scenes of public activities and honorary chairs probably relate to extraordinary activities undertaken by Augustales. Fasces, however, are prevalent enough to suggest their use as priestly insignia in some regions. Status symbols of greater authority appear on tombs of Augustales in northern Italy. The conferral of these symbols reveals the discrepancy between many ex-slaves{\textquoteright} legal and social status. The funerary monuments of the Augustales attest to their affluence and upward social mobility.},
	keywords = {Egyptian, Ancient Near Eastern, and Classical Art},
	author = {Woods, Ann Christine}
}
