Tacitus Equality

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.

In the early first century AD, the Roman Empire was subject to autocratic rule and the old Republic was long dead. Augustus had been ruling for forty years and most of that time he was loved and praised by the Senate and the people of Rome. Throughout his reign, Augustus had the one lingering problem of finding a successor to take over the role of Emperor. He had chosen 3 different heirs in his time of rule; however, they all passed before they had the chance to inherit Augustus’ esteemed power. His fourth choice, Tiberius, was the one to succeed Augustus. He was often referred to, by Augustus, as an outstanding general and the only one capable of defending Rome against her enemies. The statement, ‘Tiberius is condemned by many ancient

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

Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was one of the most outstanding leaders in history. He was the first ruler of the Romano-Hellenic civilization and achieved his goals with great success throughout his life of 56 years. He was assassinated by the conspirators, who accused him for practicing tyranny. This essay will discuss whether it was right for the conspirators to murder Caesar and what its consequences were.

Unlike Livy, Tacitus uses his history to critique the widespread abuse of power by Rome's leaders. Tacitus was virulently opposed to the great concentration of power in the hands of Roman emperors. It was Tacitus' belief that the Roman emperor had so much power in his hands that no man could occupy the throne without being corrupted by that power. In his writings, Tacitus tries to paint every emperor as a corrupt despot in order to deliver his message that "absolute power corrupts absolutely." His writing is full of tales of corruption, government scandal, and innocent people being destroyed or having

Tacitus’ Agricola, though it traverses a significant part of Rome’s conquest of Britain, is primarily about the man from whom the book takes it title. Tacitus used British conquest to show the reader Agricola’s many virtues, and he explained why Romans should strive to follow Agricola’s example. At the same time, however, Tacitus echoed Agricola’s virtues to Rome, which, before and during the writing of his book, endured several tyrannical emperors. Tacitus’ book, besides praising an individual, suggested hope for an improved future to many troubled Romans when the virtues of the empire had decayed, and freedom that they once loved had largely disappeared.

Tacitus believes that Roman Imperialism has a variety of attributes that include prosperity, cruelty, and jealousy. Imperialism can be a two-edged sword, bringing peace and prosperity during one reign, and fear the next. Tacitus is a great source of the Roman imperialist results as he lived through emperor’s who were thought to be effective and others who were unsatisfactory to say the least. He favored the Trajanic regime that he was serving under while criticized Domitian’s reign undoubtedly. Overall, his opinion on imperial rule was mostly negative since it promoted the corruption of the ruler and the ruled, increased secrecy, paranoia, cruelty and moral downgrades in the emperors, and an increase in greed, hypocrisy, and cowardice in the subjects. While he talks positively of Agricola’s victories over the Britanni, he has mixed opinions on other Roman conquests. He describes his father-in-;aw’s positive effect on integrating conquered peoples into society. Meanwhile, other talks of Roman greed and lust combined with extreme contempt for barbarian culture fills the pages of Agricola. Tacitus includes an enumeration of possible barbarian complaints of Roman rule with a declamation by a renowned Britanni leader, Calagus, that both describe the expansion of Roman influence as destructive rather than the spread of peace.

Barnard, L.W., Athanasius and the Roman State, Latomus, T. 36, Fasc. 2 (AVRIL-JUIN 1977)pp 422-437 Published by: Societe d’Etudes Latines de BruxellesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4153032

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.

The passage I have chosen to write about is Cincinnatus Saves Rome. The title of the original source is Ab Urbe Condita, or commonly translated as The History of Rome, which was written by Livy. This project, created around 25 BCE, consisted of a series of books in which Roman history was discussed. These books covered historical events dating all the way back to the construction of Rome. This piece represents the perspective of early Romans and was used as an example of what it meant to be a good Roman citizen. During the fifth century BCE, which was when the story of Cincinnatus took place, the Romans were under attack by the Aequi. Rome was in a state of turmoil and Cincinnatus, as a temporary Dictator, was their only hope.

Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was the son of a Roman aristocrat whose family had regularly held the highest offices of state for the past century. Tiberius achieved much in his life and was a man of high distinction in political circles. He was a man with a prominent background- coming from very powerful families. It seemed also, that many had high expectations of him, and his potential was not seen to its full extent. To a few of us here today, this is a solemn and most momentous occasion. Today I will be critically analysing and assessing the significance of three key areas which have been the crux of historical debate for centuries. Today I will be touching on Tiberius' family background, education, and early career to 134BC, the aims

The ethos of the Roman nobility at the time of the second century BCE was driven by ambitious military and political careers. These where brought about by a rigorous set of ideals which were built upon Rome’s cultural foundations. “The four terms that ascribe such a rigorous set of ideals are gloria, nobilitas, virtus and auctoritas ”.

This book written by Tacitus is significant in multiple ways as one of the first documented points of history of this time period. In the first part of the book, it highlights the life of commander Agricola, one the greatest commanders who ruled over Britain. Being his son in law, Tacitus uses his personal experience and the stories that Agricola had told him portraying his rise to leadership in Britain. Although knowing little about leadership and war, Tacitus had the best account of Agricola's life in all aspects. He talks about Agricola’s early life from his military training, his years in the military that promoted through the ranks upto commander, then his battles against the rebels forces of Britain at the time. At his old age he recalls

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

Tacitus is a Roman historian who is well renowned for his open ended writing style that allows the reader to interpret his work however they choose. Tacitus has many works, with Agricola and Germany being arguably his biggest. In Agricola, Tacitus attempts to summarize the life of Roman general Gneaus Julius Agricola, all while bringing Roman (greedy) and Britania (tyrannical) issues into light. In Agricola and Germany, it seems that Tacitus attempts to send the message that honorable actions ring through generations and essentially make the individual immortal (even when the individual has long passed), we see this when Tacitus writes, “abide in the human hearts through the endless procession of the ages, by the fame of his deeds”, stating