Augustus Analysis

Augustus, formerly known as Octavian, was the adopted son of dictator Julius Caesar and Emperor or Rome. Octavian set out to destroy his father’s murderers and assembled his own army in his quest for power and retribution. At the start, he shared rule with Mark Antony, however, their collaboration proved ineffective leading Augustus to pursue more and more control, culminating in the defeat of Antony in the battle of Actium and assuming rule as Emperor of Rome. Augustus did not inherit rule, his pursuit for power comprised of manipulative actions veiled under his generosity, concern for his people and charismatic tone and tenor. Res Gestae Divi Augusti expresses a sense of self adoration and honor in his quest for power and control, yet the subtext portrays a vastly different undertone, that of use of cajoling and propagandizing messages to benefit his position and accumulation of control of the republic. This Res Gestae is Augustus’ mechanism of self-promotion and adoration for his exceptional leadership qualities, concern and respect gleaned from his citizens and senate, and his military savvy to overpower and gain peace for the Romans, thus proclaiming his reign as one of prestige and importance.

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

Suetonius was born around 68-9 AD, possibly in Hippo Regius (Suetonius xviii). His mentor described him as ‘scholarly and honorable’ and many held him in high regard (xix). Suetonius completed The Twelve Caesars sometime during the 120s during the peak of his career (xxiii). Suetonius conveys his opinion of each emperor indirectly through how he portrays their vices and virtues. According to Suetonius, a Roman leaders good and bad qualities included their military successes, relations with the citizens of Rome, mental stability, and private relationships. Suetonius believed that Augustus embodied many of the characteristics of a good leader.

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

Another clear point of difference between the two passages is their treatment of the deaths of Gaius Vibius Panse and Aulus Hirtius, the two consuls who Octavian was sent to fight with in Mutina. While Augustus relates that “both consuls had fallen in battle”, Tacitus plants a seed of doubt by saying “Soon both consuls had met their death by enemy action or perhaps in one case by deliberate poisoning of a wound and in the other at the hand of his own troops, instigated by Octavian”. The advantages (as well as te convenient coincidental nature) of the deaths of both of the consuls for Augustus are clear and while Augustus (obviously) stands by the belief that they died in battle – as historians have also come to believe due to the lack of evidence of any foul play – Tacitus voices the fears of many Roman citizens. However, in this case, it is Augustus’ claim which received more historical vailiduty, as lack of evidence can be evidence in itself; while Tacitus’ ideas towards the deaths of Pansa and Hirtius were mere speculation.

To answer the question of whether or not Augustus was a good leader, his character and actions must be looked at over the sum of his life. The leadership traits of respect, generosity, fairness, compassion, fearlessness, humility, sensitivity, and innovation appear in The Annals, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, The Deeds of The Divine Augustus and the class textbook. Augustus demonstrated all of these attributes during his 51-year reign as emperor from 63 BCE to 14 CE. However, he was not without fault as he also conducted himself in a less than worthy manner at times. Augustus was not a perfect leader but he matured into a man who was respected and obeyed during life and is still studied almost 2000 years after his death.

The settlement of 27 BC and 23 BC leave little doubt about where real power lay. The settlement through the two of these constitutional arrangements has some roles that it is needed to be conformed in the development of Augustus principate because they were a decisive role in the establishment of Augustus principate. Augustus has used sundry political strategies to obtain control in Rome. These successful strategies, has been suitably evolved in Augustus gaining his superior power in various districts essentially the Roman army and increasing the founding of his developing Principate. Two roles and responsibilities of the settlements are Judicial, Senatorial court plus two consuls tried people of high rank tried people of high rank and financial

Have you ever waged war against your wife? Caesar Octavian Augustus did. Augustus was a great leader. Leaders are necessary because they need to show leadership amongst the people and unite the people as one doing anything to keep them safe. Caesar Octavian Augustus was one of Rome’s greatest leaders by showing that at the age of 19, he can rule one of the most powerful nations by any means including war (http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/augustus.html)

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.

Suetonius wrote The Twelve Caesars as a biography about twelve Roman Caesars. This essay will compare and contrast two of them, Divus Julius and Nero. Even though the two men both became Emperors who ruled Rome, they could not have been more different. Both had certain authority and public powers during each of their reigns. Their lives were also scattered with times of virtue and scandal. This was a different time from today. Human behavior and morals played a significant role in those ruling over others. Some had them and some not so much. In the end, their stories will ultimately give the reader an illustration of these two men and what their stories tell us about the lives of Roman emperors in the first century.

The Prima Porta Augustus was a political propaganda statue made of Augustus that showed his power and ideologies. In the Prima Porta Augustus, Augustus is seen youthful wearing a toga, a military regalia with an outstretched hand in a noble Roman controlled gesture, is barefoot and by his leg is Eros riding a dolphin. The military regalia and his arm being outstretsched in a noble Roman controlled gesture shows Augustus’s emperor powers as he leads an army. Toga was the national garmet of Rome and only male citizen were allowed to wear them. This choice to wear a toga was done to show that Augustus was part of the army and was a citizen.

To change an empire from a Republic to a Monarchy, is in itself a great achievement, but to be that one man that successfully changes the way of old to the original form of state is an amazing fete. The will to achieve this, and the desire must be great and you must truly be remarkable, although in saying that, having your forefathers pave the way, assist in reaching that goal. This is what Augustus achieved, he became greatest man in Rome, the highest achievement one might endeavour, outdoing his forefathers. He played the game of Roman politics against some of the greatest minds, brilliantly and shaped what is now known as the “Great Roman Empire”.

     Two problems facing the late Roman Empire was the instability and non unification caused by inner family civil wars. Rome's rapid expansion, after the Punic Wars, resulted in changes that permanently divided the state. Both Aristocrats and Plebeians wanted total control of Rome and tried to destroy each other. Civil war was the the only way to solve problems in politics. Consequently, the power of the military became strong. Control of Rome's armies changed from the government to the generals because the soldiers began to listen to their generals rather than to the Government. On dismissal from military service, the soldiers had no farms to return to, and they

Essay Topic 4: Augustus made significant urban and architectural interventions on the city of Rome. Choose three buildings/monuments related to his reign and discuss how they reflect his impact. What representational messages were they designed to convey?

Augustus, during his reign as emperor proved effective in ruling through the ideas he implemented to solidify his country. Tacitus stated “nullo adversante” which translates into English “Wholly unopposed” (http://janusquirinus.org/Quotes/QuotesHome.html) this identifies the effectiveness of his reign and the strength he had politically over Rome. Important actions such as the creation of religious and moral reforms, the constitutional agreement and the implementation of the building programme all succeeded in creating stability within the Roman Empire.