Gaius Cilnius Maecenas and His Circle in the Cultural Atmosphere of the Golden Age of Augustus

Abstract

The article is devoted to the life and work of Gaius Cilnius Maecenas, friend and colleague of emperor Augustus. In historiography Maecenas usually appears as the “minister of the interior” and even the “minister of propaganda” of the Roman Empire. According to the author, Maecenas was a new type of politician: soft, modest, devoid of political ambitions, who loved art and got used to luxury. Maecenas was Augustus' confidante and an obedient instrument in his hands. He went down in history as the head of a literary circle and the patron of such poets as Virgil, Horace and Propertius. Maecenas was, in modern terms, an effective “manager”, a generous “sponsor” and a talented “producer”, who created the ideology of the “golden age” of Augustus.