Pro consensu et concordia civium: Sensoriality, Imperial Cult, and Social Control in Augustan Urban Orientations

One of the most stunning visions that people in the Roman Empire looked at would have been the alignment of the sun with certain public structures of Roman towns in relevant moments of the religious calendar. Some of these moments would have been related to astronomical events such as solstices and equinoxes, which were connected with political and religious principles during the reign of Augustus. In this regard, the application of cosmological criteria in the orientation and planning of Roman towns has been identified in some case studies, such as Augusta Praetoria Salassorum in Italia, Carthago Nova in Hispania, Lugdunum in Gallia Lugdunensis, Augusta Treverorum in Gallia Belgica, and Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (previous Ara Ubiorum) in Germania Inferior. In all of them, the apparent movement of the sun across the sky along the year would have been chosen to mark (during the dawn or sunset) important public festivals linked to the human and agricultural cycles, as well as with several deities from the Roman pantheon. The intention behind this practice would have included commemorating specific public events that were deeply significant for the population, but also favoring prosperity and maintaining the political and religious cohesion of the communities. In order to achieve this purpose, the sensory perception and emotional experience would have played a decisive role. The fact, for example, that every 23rd of September and 21st of December (as is the case of Ara Ubiorum, Carthago Nova and Augusta Praetoria Salassorum) the first rays of sun aligned with the urban layout would have caused an extraordinary impact and theatrical effect in the consciousness of the people. Both dates and the psychological implications aroused, associated with the dies natalis Augusti and Capricorn (sign that chaired in Lugdunum the concilium of Tres Galliae every 1st August), would have been instrumentalized by Augustus for strengthening his position at the head of the Empire, as well as promoting the conservation of the new political order.