Augustus : The Rise And Fall Of Gaius Octavius 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

Octavius was born into a family with few connections. He was a sickly child; he was small in stature, with bad teeth and spots covering his body, with many birthmarks on his chest and belly. Octavius was the great nephew of Julius Caesar; Julius Caesar won the civil war in 46 B.C, and was named dictator of Rome Julius then said to the people “I came, I saw, I conquered”. Julius needed and heir to succeed him. Having no children he adopted Octavius. His name was then changed to Gaius Julius Caesar. Octavius did not learn of this until the assassination of Julius Caesar, and it wasn’t until the reading of Julius’ will that everyone learned that Octavius was now the successor to Julius, and the power he had was going to Octavius.

In the hit movie “Cleopatra”, Octavian’s character is adapted for the movie and does not precisely describe his true quality. In reality, Octavian was a brave ruler who loved to fight. “The movie portrays him in a very negative light, also showing him to be a physical coward who avoided wine, woman, and gambling” (Cane, 13). For example, Octavian is shown as weak when he does not participate in the battle of Philippi because he is sick. Although it is true that Octavian was prone to sickness, he was not a coward, and often showed significant bravery in battle. For instance, Octavian was certainly brave and determined to gain control over the Roman Empire and defeat Antony. In an epic sea battle off the coast of Southwest Greece” (Gill)”, Octavian was undoubtedly active in fighting (successfully) for his position and power. Also, Octavian is misrepresented when portrayed as stingy, never taking part in his own wars, never drinking, or concerning himself with women. In reality, for example “Octavian actually loved gambling with dice and indulged in extramarital affairs” (Cane 14). The writers and producers of the movie probably altered Octavian’s character to make a contrast and set apart his character from the other main men in the plot. The main

Octavian, the heir to Rome’s previous leader Julius Caesar, was given the title of Augustus, meaning “Revered One” in 27 B.C. He took power of Rome in 43 B.C and formed the Second Triumvirate which consisted of Marc Antony, Lepidus, and himself. Octavian and Marc Antony quickly shut Lepidus out of power and then later had a civil war over control of Rome which Octavian won. Octavian was humble and generous to the Roman citizens, he kept peace, and restored damages in Rome. Due to his effective leadership qualities, Octavian earned his new title of Augustus.

(Source 1). "The benefits of life under Augustus were too great to throw away lightly". Octavian kept the people and the Senate happy, they weren't inclined to rebel and Rome was its turmoil, allowing it to flourish and grow to be an empire remembered forever. This peace was made possible by Octavian who became a devoted leader but also listened and controlled the senate very carefully, which his predecessor, Julius Caesar, failed to do. He understood the treatment of the senate would allow the people to adore him because in their hearts it reminded them of the former

Gaius Octavius Thurinus is a adopted son of Julius Caesar, He is the first true emperor of the Roman Empire, he was believed to be one of the most important emperor of Roma. In 43 EBC, Octavian gathered his army to kill the senate who planned the assassinate targeting Julius Caesar, his adoptive father. Then, he defeat Mark Antony and Cleopatra who was his allies but later betrayed him. Thus , he ended the war continued for decades and brought the great peace to Rome, In 29 EBC Octavian declared the pax romana, also know as the Roman peace. In 27 BCE, he was bestowed the title of Augustus by the Roman senate which was actually reestablished by Augustus himself. In order to remind the Romans the emperor’s power, Augustus ordered sculptor to sculpt the idealized form of him and send those sculptures to every provinces (Module 5 Session 6). The Augustus of Prima Porta is a great example of them.

He preserved all of the traditional offices while slowly taking many of the offices for him self. He was both consul and tribune. Commander and chief of the military and the senate also gave him direct control of many provinces, these provinces supplied men for his armies and food for them also, not to the senate. Augustus knew the importance of religion in roman society, he then named himself pontifex maximus which means supreme priest. He encourages the construction of temples dedicated to Rome and Augustus. None of these innovations in his ruling method altered the Roman constitution. The laws he did change however were the laws of the provinces of Rome which made them more romanized, so Augustus could be open about his actions so the senate would not bring him down and be with him. The Romans had a strong sense of there traditions and were fascinated by there history they loved when they could point out how the gods operated in there empire and allowed them much conquest of the western world. Before Augustus it looked for the romans as if the gods had left them, for they killed each other in revolutions and civil wars. Augustus’s many military victories and expansion of the empire through land and a political sense, show that the gods where on his side. He glorified Rome by hiring painters, sculptures, architects, and painters to design and build beautiful structures. He has paved the way for future Roman emperors to come.

Octavian Augustus is one of the fiercest leaders in the history of the Roman Empire because of his successful military expansion, his Control of Finance, and his political leadership.

All of these wars happen because of the many leaders that were hungry for power and wanted to make Rome the best that it could be. Unfortunately, they did it at the expense of others. The government system in Rome consisted of the royal family that had the most control with the King having the most power. The King and other selected members had an extraordinary power, as stated in the textbook (TEXTBOOK) called “imperium, the right to issue commands and to enforce them by fines, arrest, and physical punishment, including execution” (CITATION). This type of power can be dangerous if not used with caution. In 168 B.C.E. a man by the name of Tiberius Gracchus tried to help give back to people by proposing a land distribution act. He offered to take land from the wealthy and redistribute it to the poor. The bill proposal was vetoed not once but twice. At this point, Tiberius Gracchus’s brother, Gaius Gracchus, a great tribunate and now help his brother.

Octavian enabled the long, nonviolent time of the Pax Romana, (Latin for Roman peace) by changing Rome from a frail, collapsing republican government to a powerful empire. He is known as the first, and one of the greatest, Roman Emperors ever. Octavian was born on September 23, 63 BC, and died in 14 AD. Born with the name Gaius Octavius Thurinus, he was adopted posthumously by his great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar via his will, and then was named Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. This happened in 44 BC when his great uncle, Julius Caesar, was assassinated by a group of conspirators. Additionally, he received the name “Augustus” a term meaning “the revered one” from the Roman Senate in 27 BC. Because of the various names he had, it is

Julius Caesar's reign was an unfavorable and chaotic period for Rome, and after his death, a large portion of the empire was handed down to his adopted son, Gaius Octavian. From the ashes of his father, Octavian was able to build an Empire unparalleled. Later, the name Augustus was given to him by Senate. Augustus ostensibly maintained the form of the Roman Republic while in actuality creating the Roman Empire. He introduced the administrative reforms that led to the Pax Romana with its flourishing of trade and the arts. Although Augustus's ascension to power could have not been without it bequested by Julius, it was his use of art and propaganda that reinforced the legitimacy his position.

     Upon the defeat and death of Antony, Octavian proclaimed the restoration of the Republic of Rome. However, he had no intention of stepping down as leader. In 27 BC Octavian placed the republic at the disposal of the Senate and the Roman people. Octavian’s position was now legitimized by the Senate’s request that he command and lead Rome. He was given the military command, known as Imperium for ten years. This office included the administration of Roman provinces that required the presence of the army. The official name of Octavian became Imperator Caesar Augustus From that time would be known as Augustus, which means “the Exalted”.

In this section I will be analysing how Octavian/Augustus rose to become the first Emperor of Rome and his reign thereafter. I will also be looking at how he gained his position and what being and

Gaius Octavius, better known to historians as Augustus, succeeded his great uncle Julius Caesar following his assassination. In his wake, Augustus would become the first Emperor of the newly formed Roman Empire and bring massive, sweeping revisions to Roman law as well as centralize the government, military and economic currency of the Empire. He also reemphasized the importance of art, music and literature in Roman culture, bringing about a new era of historically important artists, poets, sculptors, scribes and philosophers. While the beginnings