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The acanthus friezes populated by small animals on all sides of the Ara Pacis Augustae are not incidental to the narrative presented by the building's art. Unusual flora and fauna were of great interest to the citizens of early imperial Rome and often put on display. The symmetry and order of the frieze represents the Augustan state's wealth and fertility. Each of the small animals depicted results from a metamorphosis, symbolizing the change in the Augustan state. Together, the metamorphoses of the acanthus and the animals help the viewer see the dynamism in the human relationships depicted elsewhere in the frieze.