Augustus: A Fictional Narrative

The Deeds of the Divine Augustus By Augustus can answer all sorts of questions regarding how Augustus portrays himself. Augustus views himself almost as the greatest among men. After the Julius Creaser was declared a deity he demanded that he be called creaser and saw himself as “Divi filius” or “the son of the divine”. Almost like he was trying to use godliness of the former emperor to ensure to be viewed more highly or even be considered a deity himself. Upon Augustus’s death, Augustus left behind three scrolls. One of which scrolls instructed to have all of his accomplishments on a list, to be inscribed upon tablets made out of bronze and to be placed in front of the entry to his mausoleum. This inclines that he wants to be remembered for

In the novel Augustus, John Williams uses an assortment of letters, memoirs, eyewitness accounts, and public pronouncements from friends and foes of Octavius to convey the character of the first Roman Emperor. Gaius Octavius was a clever, ambitious teenager who impressed his great uncle, Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar found great interest in his niece’s son and requested for Gaius to come live with him. Julius Caesar then adopted Gaius Octavius and was then known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. Julius Caesar was assassinated and by nineteen years of age, Octavius had become the new Emperor. By twenty-five years of age, Octavius had already avenged his great uncle’s death by killing Brutus and Cassius at the battle of Philippi.

Augustus is known by many for his successful rule over the Roman Empire and the extended periods of peace during his reign. However, little is known about his role as a political strategist that aided his rise to power. Augustus used various strategies to ensure his military strength yet still maintain favor with the people as discussed below.

Werner Eck’s chapter on Augustus takes the form of a biography, from the murder of his adoptive father Gaius Julius Caesar, through his rise through the republic to his empire, and finally to his own death. Eck also breaks his narrative down into sections, ranging from wars to legislation to matters of succession. This is not, however, a simple retelling of a story. Eck sites a few notes, as well as further readings one could go into if they wanted to know more about Augustus. Overall it is a very solid secondary source that covers the essential basics to his reign.

Sculpture was also changing during the rise of the Empire. Augustus continued to propagandize using sculpture as Pompey and Caesar did in the Republic. He effectively used it to promote his ideas and to legitimize him as the Emperor. In 13 BCE, the Senate commissioned the Altar of Augustan Peace. This is perhaps the best example of art propaganda by Augustus. His new moral code was depicted for all to see. This altar shows Augustus as a moral family man and peacemaker for the Empire.

Moving further into the cemetery, a fresh chill ran anew along my spine. Grayish white head stones dotted the landscape before me. Everywhere I turned, a silence prevailed, yet not so silent that no noise at all spoke to my ever un-steading nerve. Amongst the trees, the wind wisped. A bush, rattled against some unknown tombstone.

These identical historiographical disputes are also encountered by highly reputable and dependable sources such as the Oxford University Press and Augustus himself as the main complexity that is faced whether a sources is primary or secondary is that the authors can develop their own interpretations of events based on primary sources and also offer an argument or point of view in an effort to persuade. Despite this, Oxford University Press as a whole, contributes outstanding interpretations and shares large amounts of knowledge in regards to the life of Augustus’ particularly through the representations made by him through pieces of art and literature. This is especially beneficial as all of the pieces depict Augustus’ as being a moral man, which overall spectacles the connotation and association behind the art works, giving an insight into how the people of the ancient Roman society

Augustus was a man who was an expert at using political propaganda. In his life he took on many roles to give him a more powerful status in the eyes of the people. In his own words Augustus said, “I exceeded all in influence [auctoritas], but I had no greater power than the others who were colleagues with me in each magistracy.” (Augustus: A Man for all Seasons)

I felt Hazel’s pain when Augustus died after she described her experience at the hospital saying, “When you go into the ER, one of the first things they ask you to do is rate your pain on a scale of one to ten...my parents took me to the ER. The nurse asked me about the pain, and I couldn't even speak, so I held up nine fingers. Later, after they'd given me something, the nurse came in and she was kind of stroking my head while she took my blood pressure and said, ‘You know how I know you're a fighter? You called a ten a nine.’” She related it to losing Augustus by adding, “ I called it a nine because I was saving my ten. And here it was, the great and terrible ten, slamming me again and again….” (page 262-263) Hazel’s feelings for Augustus is conveyed perfectly, describing the time that she has spent with him, “You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful.”(page 260) I feel that the descriptive choice of words impacted the book, as well as the

Augustus need for cooperation in running the vast empire. The Principate of Rome population embraces men of every kind, in respect both of race. and endowment and both of their tempers and their desires, which are commonly manifold. And the business of the Senate has become so vast that it can be administered only with the greatest difficulty. Augustus had nearly doubled the size of the empire by adding territories in Europe, and Asia Minor and capturing alliance that gave him effective rule to the Senate. Augustus had spent much of his time outside of Rome, combining power, Augustus was only 40 years old when he had all the power from other European counties, which made him control everything, which he wanted to make strict rules in Rome,

My loving sister. How kind you have treated me in the past. How gentle and calming your whispers were. I seek advice from you once again, for my love is turning against me. I fear his ambition and strength. Though, I fell in love with him for these same reasons. I miss you now that you live with your family in Athens. Please, Valeria, give me advice for the long years to follow.

I chose this book because it's about real life events, and it does a fantastic job at describing the feelings and state of mind of the people who have this disease. this is a fiction book based on a 16- year old girl named Hazel Grace Lancaster who also has thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs, Hazel is sent to a support group weekly in her mothers hopes that she will make friends and start living a somewhat normal teenage life,

There is an old saying, Rome was not built in a day. The early Roman Kingdom emerged with the aid of the Etruscans, the original Italians inhabiting Italy around 800 BCE. Their great influence came in the forms of: living arrangements, burial rituals, architecture, religion, monarchy, and culture. Rome’s early successes were attributed to the bond they had with the Etruscans. As many leaders arose throughout Rome’s history, the greats wanted a divine connection to Rome, to be like Romulus and his dear friends the Etruscans, the ancient ancestors of Rome. Julius Caesar perhaps had believed he was a god, deified just like Romulus. Like Julius, his adopted son Augustus (Octavian) wanted to emulate the same traits as his father and to be connected to the original Romans. Etruscan influence trickles down throughout Rome for centuries after, because they were viewed as a great people. Augustus was one of Rome’s greatest emperors, and also the person who established the Empirical system. It had been a Republic from 509 BCE to 31 BCE. Augustus’s greatest achievements were transformed into monuments, buildings, temples and arches, all of which inspired by Etruscan and other the other great Ancients before him. Out of all the great projects Augustus erected in Rome, the most important one to him was his own Mausoleum. Augustus was a world traveler and grew many fine tastes all across his Roman

During the time of the ancient Romans art was manipulated to represent power political figures and certain ways and political rivals in a less flattering way.

I think everyone tends to know too much. During that ceremony, I was broken. Just seeing him hold her hand crushed, and to think he merely did it to make me jealous. He was such an idiot. But, I felt myself drawn to that idiot. I can’t believe the words he wrote to me. All this time, I thought he hated me. He never hated me, in fact, he loved me. I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face. I shouldn’t be feeling this way. I know I shouldn’t. Yet, I did. I think the thing that made me happiest would be the part about the second letter. I couldn’t wait to read it.