In a bid to endorse administration, rulers employ diverse strategies to govern and manage property and subjects within their jurisdiction. Following the extensive jurisdiction regions under rulers, these strategies followed to acquire loyalty and allegiance from their subjects. Further, while persuasion effectively endorses the acquisition of loyalty from subjects, force played an imperative role in enforcing laws and administration initiatives. Great emperors and rulers explicitly adopted art and integrative strategies with the aim of gaining control and power in their jurisdictions. In essence, the active inclusion of art enforced the exercise of power and reflected the ruling capacity of the present ruler.
Around 500 BC, through conquests and expansion, King Darius I acquired vast territories which encompassed an extensive number of subjects, senators, traders among members of the society. In essence, considering the vast area ruled by Darius I, the king required a comprehensive way of exerting power over the entire kingdom. Darius the Great explicitly employed the power of art to institutionalize his rule in Persia over his whole territory. Through the art of persuasion and structured practices of art, Darius I endorsed the integration of the members of the empire thereby allowing for the seamless exertion of power. The king constructed a massive monumental palace, Apadana, which served the cultural and ceremonial capacities of the realm. Darius I curved inspiring images of members of the empire offering tribute to the king despite the war and retribution experienced in conquests. Further, while the palace was visible over miles, the king introduced the language of images which encompassed his first logo. In the logo, Darius the Great communicated wisdom and leadership and thereby surpassed the barriers of diverse languages within his empire. In this manner, Darius the Great validated his authority over his entire kingdom through the effective implementation of artistic capacity.
Emperor Augustus of the Roman Empire explicitly used the art of persuasion in his creation of monuments and temples that established his connection with the gods Apollo which reflected his close association with the ancient Roman people. Through his art, Augustus endorses the belief and justification of his nobility to rule the Roman empire. In this regard, Augustus managed to bestow peace, integration, and cohesion among the Roman people. With the institutionalization of peace and order known as Pax Romana, through artistic capacity, Augustus managed to exercise his rule and control of the Roman empire in 27 BC. In essence, the implementation of critical forms of art in ruling played a vital role in the validation of authority over jurisdictions.
