How did Roman rulers use art as propaganda?

Art was used to promote the rulers of Rome throughout the history of the Roman Republic and Empire. By using well-recognized symbols of Rome's power in art, the strength of the rulers and the regime as a whole could be easily advertised. These symbols included images such as the Roman eagle, the wolf, and the fasces, and they are found throughout Roman artwork. They all represented the power of the state. Images of the Roman gods, as well as highly decorated temples, were constructed all around the Roman dominion as well, to drive home the hegemony of the state through its religion.
Images of the Roman rulers themselves were common elements of propaganda. Consuls, senators, governors, and emperors were well represented in statues and public paintings. They were often displayed in the role of military commander or priest to show the power of the Roman state in both these aspects (war and religion). These served as a reminder of exactly who was in charge and of their power. Funerary art also served a similar purpose by glorifying deceased leaders.
The written and oratory arts also were widely used as propaganda. For example, Emperor Augustus commissioned Virgil's epic poem the Aeneid to promote the Roman ideology of military conquest. Poems, histories, theatre, and literature often served the role of propping up the current regime and its rulers.
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