Seneca's Letters to Lucilius and the Ara Pacis Augustae

      According to Seneca, what is man's unique good? How should a good man conduct himself?
      Seneca wrote in his Letters to Lucilius that he believes man's unique good to be reason, the power to think and to judge. None of the animals or other creatures of earth possess this capability, and for Seneca, that makes it man's defining characteristic and thus his unique good. Seneca writes that a good man must always behave according to reason; a good man must act with honor at all times and must be willing to do things that might be displeasing to him for honor's sake. Seneca believes that reason leads to virtue; thus, a good man is one whose defining characteristic of reason has led him to conduct his life with virtue.



      Read further about one of the Roman works of art you studied, and in about 125 words discuss the additional details you find out.
      The Ara Pacis Augustae (which translates to "Altar of the Augustan Peace), commonly known as the Ara Pacis, is a work of Roman art that was commissioned by the Senate in 13 BC to honor Augustus's military victories, which had brought peace to the Roman public. It was dedicated to the Roman goddess of Peace and the altar served as the location of many sacrifices to Peace. It served as a kind of monument to Roman civil religion, which involved paying homage Rome and her leaders rather than the mythic Greek gods that Rome had also adopted. The walls of the Ara Pacis are decorated with highly detailed relief work, depicting various scenes of Roman peace and prosperity which the altar was meant to commemorate.