The Deeds Of The Divine Augustus

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

Everyone knows of Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor. There is a whole month named after him. Augustus was a great leader favored by the people and by neighboring countries. But most people don’t know that he also banished his daughter and granddaughter, that his potential heirs kept mysteriously dying, and that he was extremely egotistical. Even though he expanded his empire more than any other leader had before and reformed the entire government of Rome, he still had many pitfalls that kept him from being a perfect leader.

In this paper, I will describe the sculpture, Augustus of Primaporta, beginning with the Emperor’s head, one would note the definition of Augustus’ hair, individual locks that coalesce to form an idealized, dome-shaped style. His forehead displays two proportional, prominent bumps, likely muscles that control brow movement. His pencil-thin eyebrows are set quite low and impress a calm disposition.

One of the sympathetic sources towards Augustus was, Suetonius, who thought Augustus was a great leader and honorable man in his position as emperor. According to Mellor in, “Augustus and the Creation of the Roman Empire," Document 14 explains how Suetonius was a biographer for Augustus and a Roman historical writer, that was much different from the “subjective judgments” taken from Tacticus. In Mellor, Document 14, Suetonius says, “… (Augustus) he would not allow himself to be called “Sire” even by his children or his grandchildren either in jest or earnest and he forbade them to use such flattering terms even among themselves" (Mellor 92). An example of Augustus’ modesty and relationship with his own family and his respect for his commoners. Suetonius gives us the impression that Augustus is a religious man of the people, who wants unity for his countrymen and divinity for himself. Suetonius relays the message of "his expression," and

In the year 63 B.C Augustus became the first emperor of Rome, after the assassination of his adoptive father Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. Augustus raised an army at the age of 19 to overthrow the tyrant leader Mark Antony, whom gained power of Rome after the assassination of Julius Caesar. After overthrowing the tyrannical system, Augustus liberated his father, and was offered dictatorship by the people of Rome. Augustus rejected the title of dictator on more than one occasion; he instead titled himself princeps civitatis: the first among citizens. In his reign Augustus completed many building projects, including the repair and rebuilding of aqueducts, roads, and sewers that had been neglected over time. The expansion of the Roman Empire under Augustus was extensive, stretching from Egypt to Spain including

Augustus is known to be the first Roman emperor, and the founder of Rome, known for politically transforming the Roman republic to the early Roman Empire. During his rule his influence on artwork and architecture illustrated a classical style, and often they was a reflection of the “public image” of his rule, as well as his “new agenda”. (115) Augustus was quickly seen as a restorer of Rome. Augustus commissioned many large scale building projects such as the Campus Martius, as well as elaborate pieces of portraiture that illustrate his power and the peace of the new Rome under his rule. Augustus acknowledged his power and wealth but at the same time never formally declared himself emperor in order to maintain his citizenship. Although he was keen on denying title of emperor, he emphasized that he was a descendant of the great Julius Caesar considering himself his adopted son and his predecessor, in which he reinforces in some of the temples he commissioned. Overall Augustus was seen as a man of change and power, the one who brought prosperity to Rome when it became shaken by the assassination of Julius Caesar. The age of Augustus brought forth a classical style, influenced by Greeks, and the usage of marble and concrete to create complex buildings and sculptures. This was important because as a result of Augustus’ reign Rome obtained a very classical style, in which would later be reintroduced in order to mimic his greatness by other Emperors.

Augustus’s rule as emperor and his efforts to make Rome a city without compare, has led to an influence and inspiration of architectural design that resonates with Roman Imperial successors in other dynasties. His ideas and completed projects influenced and inspired his successors in various ways. The main buildings that prove to be influential consist of the manipulating water, creating gardens and parks, and Augustus’s home. Emperor Nero and Hadrian illustrate Augusts’s impact through the erection of Domus Aurea and Hardian’s Villa in Tivoli.

Augustus was the first emperor, and founder, of the Roman Empire. He was a generous leader, and had a sense of caution in mind with every decision. His document, Res Gestae Divi Augusti, notes all of his accomplishments during his reign. He established an especially impressive army during his time. In the first paragraph, he introduces the beginning of his kingship, “In my nineteenth year… I raised an army with which I set free the state, which was oppressed by the domination of a faction” (Res Gestae Divi Augusti, 1). In the second to fourteenth paragraphs he touches on the politics of his career and the events that transpired. In paragraphs fifteen through twenty-four, he notes his donations of money, land, public works, ect. Paragraphs twenty-five through thirty-three take his military and alliances into account. In the final two paragraphs, thirty-four and thirty-five, he discusses Roman people’s assessment of his reign. Augustus was a very powerful leader with his well planned strategies, and made the people of Rome very proud.

He also, had people build the temple of Mars the Avenger, the temple of Apollo, the temple of Jupiter Tohans as as well as a dam. This was done to help with the growing population and to keep the Tiber for flooding and destroying the city in killing Rome's people. When a group of robbers started to stealing for the government, he did not rest until they had been found and convicted. He stood by his friend Asprenus side when he was falsely accused for slander. In the ended the case was thrown out of court. This show that Augustus cared about the people living in Rome and that he was not going to let anyone mistreat them or steal from them. The people named him " Father of His Country" when he returned home to Rome after the war. Augustus cried and thanked the people for honoring him with that title. I believe that this show that Augustus knows how to be humble when people gives him praise. Augustus did not care about his physical appearance, but he did barber's that keep his hair manageable. His physical appearance changed as he got old and when he was on his death bed. He did not like the servant going in and out of his room even though they were waiting on him. He died on August 19, 14, at 7 pm at this time he was only 75 years old. He remains were carried from city to city before he was buried in Mausoleum of Augustus, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy. His life is also called "the Augustan Age".

Another subsequent source that helps debunk the theory of Augustus’ undivided leadership is from Dio Cassius’s Roman History. This is principally accomplished as Cassius Dio, like Tacitus, mainly focusses on Augustus’s single-minded need for power in relation to the rights granted by a high majority of the people and the senate. However despite this, Cassius Dio declares that, “Caesar himself was destined to have absolute control of all matters for all time, because he was not only master of the funds but also commanded the soldiers…” Through this declaration provided by Cassius Dio, it can be interpreted that through becoming a part of the military command Augustus could immediately have access to power as there was a high amount of money

To what extent was Augustus ' achievement of power a continuation of the phenomenon we have been examining throughout this course? How was Augustus different? By the time of his death in AD 14, what had changed since the epoch of Scipio Aemilianus?

     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

With the death of Julius Caesar, Augustus became the leader of Julius' great conquests, resources, and soldiers. Immense power was his to seize. However, the power came at a cost. At the forefront of his attention, Julius' killers were still loose, sewing seeds of violent oppression to this authority. Combined with this constant fear of revolt, the propaganda of Marc Antony and others further challenged his right to rule. Therefore, for Augustus to command the absolute power bestowed upon him, he must eliminate any threats by any means necessary. This took the form of massacre.

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.

On the 23rd of September 63BC a baby boy was born. Little did his family know that this amazing child was going to be one of the greatest politicians in Rome, he was also going to touch the lives of many Roman Citizens and to be remembered by thousands of people many years after his death. He was to rule an empire that stretched from Spain to Judea. Turn the Mediterranean Sea into a peaceful Roman Lake and was eventually to be worshipped as a god. The future Emperor of Rome was called Gaius Julius Octavious, whom we all know now as Augustus.