Agricola as Hope for a Troubled Empire Essay

The military campaigns of the Caesars made Rome one of the largest empires of the ancient world. Suetonius conveys through his writings that being a good military leader and a good Caesar were synonymous. Augustus, who Suetonius thought an excellent leader, reunited the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire ( 51) and greatly expanded Romes territory (53). Augustus “showed not only skill as a commander, but courage as a soldier” in the eyes of his contemporaries (47). On the other hand, both Caligula and Nero, considered poor leaders by Suetonius, had very limited military success and aspirations. Only once did Caligula initiate a military exploit, and it was rife with his madness. His campaign into Germany was on a whim and all he accomplished was receiving the surrender of a

In “The Deeds of the Divine Augustus” Augustus portrays Rome as a dignified cut above the rest. In this reading, we learn about the ruling of Augustus and how he feels entirely responsible for all the successes of Rome. I believe that this writing is not a display of the “real Rome” but rather a depiction of its author. Throughout “The Deeds of the Divine Augustus” Augustus repeatedly refers to himself in the text and how all these successes are a result of his leadership. An example of this is when Augustus states, “In my nineteenth year, on my own initiative and at my own expense, I raised an army with which I set free the state, which was oppressed by the domination of a faction.” There are

The era dominated by Roman empire is one the most well-known and influential periods of history, home to famous names from Julius Caesar to Jesus Christ. At its height, Rome’s territory stretched from the Atlantic coastline to the Middle East, reigning over 60 million people, one-fifth of the population of the ancient world. However, the Roman empire’s treatment of their conquered people’s and their own citizens ultimately led to the permanent downfall of Rome.

Tacitus is ecstatic about the current and last regime slowly bringing back freedom to the empire, but acknowledges that it is an extremely sluggish process that can be inhibited more easily than furthered. Roman imperialism can be a two-headed beast, one bringing joy and prosperity while the other rains down fire and brimstone. However, Tacitus could be viewed as hypocritical considering he condemned Domitian’s desire for military glory while loving the reign of Trajan. Obviously, this is partially because the former wanted to steal glory from Tacitus’ father-in-law. Tacitus finishes with, “Yet I shall find some satisfaction, even with the unskilled and unpractised voice, in recording the servitude we once suffered and in gratefully acknowledging the blessings we now enjoy.” He understands that living under an imperial leadership relies heavily on the individual currently in possession of power and that the outcome can differ greatly. Although imperialism is quite terrible at times, he acknowledges that it can lead to a variety of positive outcomes. Similarly, conquest and integration of conquered peoples is a process

The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the Roman Empire and the culture within that civilization from 43-306 C.E. Centrally located in the Mediterranean lies Italy, one of the three great peninsulas that can be seen from the south of Europe. The Roman Empire and its civilization has always been one to be admired by people and leaders all around the world. When the thought of this illustrious empire comes to an individual’s mind, one might assume that they may think of the great Julius Caesar and his tragic death, Marc Antony and Cleopatra, or even the great philosophers that flourished during this time. Thousands of years later the romans are still being praised for their advances in the sciences, philosophy, and government.

The Agricola and Germani is a novel that serves two purposes: The Agricola is a eulogy praising Tacitus's father-in-law, and commander of Britian, Agricola. The Germania is an ethnography on German people. Both stories are told through the eyes of Tacitus as he indirectly criticizes Roman politics and society. His reason for snaking in these criticisms in such a crafty manner had been due to his friendship with high ranking Roman officials whom he did not want to upset. His criticisms were derived from his experiences with Agricola, speeches given by Calgucus, and his ability to compare and contrast cultural differences of Rome and Germania, targeting

Throughout Rome’s history there has been a strong and seemingly indivisible bond between war and politics. The generals of Rome were not only masters of war but would sooner or later become masters of politics. “In the Name of Rome: The men who Won the Roman Empire”, written by Adrian Goldsworthy not only explores the specifics of war but also the character of some of the most famous and successful generals of Rome. I will put focus on a few of the most infamous generals as well as my personal favorites. From oldest to youngest these include: Quintus Fabius Maximus, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Scipio Africanus, Caius Marius, Cnaeus Pompeius Magnus, and Caius Julius Caesar. All of these had failures and success in common but the way they lead

Gladiators, chariot races, plays; this civilization had it all. They possessed different moral values, and were extremely discriminative. They created the first democracy, and it hasn’t changed. Their downfall was governmental corruption. If you haven’t already caught on, these were to one and only Romans.

Two of the more memorable emperors to the Romans were Augustus Caesar (27 BC to 14 AD), and Caligula (37 AD to 41 AD). Although only having ruled the empire by a separation of 23 years and belonging to the same family (through marriage and adoption), their empires couldn’t have been more different. It is possible to determine the impact of an emperor’s rule based on their many vices and virtues, as well as the choices that they make in relation to them. The author Suetonius expressed in his writings the many vices and virtues that put into perspective the kind of leaders that these emperors appeared as to their polis. As we explore the concept of vices and virtues, as well as what kind of ideals these two rulers represented, we will begin to be presented with a clearer picture of what an ideal emperor would have looked like. A vice can be described as an immoral or wicked behavior; while a virtue can be described as a behavior showing high moral standards. Suetonius and the Roman people had a high interpretation of the concept of virtue and vice, as well as their role in the ruler’s life.

From a rather humble beginning Lucius Cornelius Sulla rose to become a great politician and a powerful general in the Roman Republic. As a general, Sulla lead Roman armies to many victories. As a politician he became a powerful dictator and yet was responsible for bringing about many reforms. This essay will prove how he was a great dictator, politician and general, through discussing his background, his military and political career, his dictatorship, and his accomplishments in his later years.

The language of Roman rule and power can be disputed endlessly, much like all else when trying to study ancient history. This is primarily a result of a multitude of interpretations that can be inferred from primary sources, which also tend to be biased, that we have available to us. Examining a source that is written from an individual’s perspective, and they trying draw conclusions about varying aspects of a certain society is especially tough and extremely subjective. Nonetheless, history remains an important field of study and reaps many benefits.

Julius Caesar is perhaps the most well known in the history of Roman Emperors, yet there is no denying that his reign was filled with controversy, no reason more so than his devious rise to power and his mischievous ways of suppressing the senate. There is no doubt that in ruling as a Dictator; Caesar lost the support of the Roman people, who had fought for freedom against an Etruscan King, a role in which Caesar was playing. His death in 44BC coincided with what many believe to be the year in which the Republic completely its eventual ‘fall’ that it had been plummeting to since 133BC, and it is only by looking at the differences in the end of his reign to that of Augustus’ in 27BC that

The Romans were on one of the greatest people of all. They had power, wealth, and even a half of the world. They built one of the strongest and vast empire that world has ever seen. They came from nothing to something awesome. It started of as a city and ended up being one of the greatest empire of all. This essay is going to focus on the Roman Empire from the rise to the fall and the government, architecture, mythology, Family Structure, and Food of the Romans.

     'I came, I saw, I conquered.' These are the words of the man who changed the history of the world. This paper will show how no other man in the history of the world represented military and political power better than Julius Caesar. He became a legend for his military exploits and great leadership ability.

Galinsky adds a new dynamic to the telling of Augustus’ life with his interpretation and depiction of the leadership and the progress made at the time. He is attempting to show the reader a more rounded picture of the life of this young emperor. The strict structure of the overall book is great in reminding the reader that this is a recount of historical events. This along with the inset boxes may at times dry out the entertaining aspects of the story being told. That being said this book is well put together and unlike the average historical text has foudn a way to keep audiences engaged while keeping structure, and fact in unison.