Final answer:
The characteristic not associated with Augustus' building program in Rome is C) Built an opulent palace for himself. Augustus' program emphasized public works and utility rather than personal opulence, aligning with his image as a restorer of the republic.
Step-by-step explanation:
Which of the following is not one of the main characteristics of Augustus' building program in Rome? The correct answer is C) Built an opulent palace for himself.
Augustus' building program was marked by an introduction of a new richness of materials, such as using marble to transform Rome from a city of brick to a city of marble. It also established the parameters and scale for later imperial buildings and standardized architectural elements such as column sizes.
However, he did not build an opulent palace for himself; that type of grand personal architecture was more characteristic of his successor, Nero, who built the Domus Aurea.
Augustus was careful to maintain a persona of simple living, in line with traditional Roman values, and he did not want to be perceived as overly authoritarian or extravagant.
He presented himself as the first among equals ('princeps') rather than as a monarch. His building program supported his political and ideological motives, reinforcing the message of the return of the republic under his guidance and the establishment of peace and prosperity ('Pax Romana').