Historical Figure
Augustus
63 BC–14
Roman emperor from 27 BC to AD 14
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Biography
Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the founder of the Roman Empire and the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. The reign of Augustus initiated an imperial cult and an era of imperial peace in which the Roman world was largely free of armed conflict. The principate, a style of government where the emperor showed nominal deference to the Senate, was established during his reign and lasted until the Crisis of the Third Century.
In Their Own Words (5)
I came to see a king, not a row of corpses.
After having visited the mausoleum of Alexander the Great in Alexandria, Augustus was asked if he also wanted to visit the mausoleum of the Ptolemies; in Suetonius, Divus Augustus, paragraph 16. Translation: Robert Graves, 1957. , 1957
Goodbye, Livia; remember our marriage!
Said to his wife Livia on his deathbed; in Suetonius, Divus Augustus, paragraph 99. Translation: Robert Graves, 1957. , 1957
I had a good mind to discontinue permanently the supply of grain to the city, reliance on which had discouraged Italian agriculture, but refrained because some politician would be bound one day to revive the dole as a means of ingratiating himself with the people.
The grain supply to the city of Rome was a contentious political issue; in Suetonius, Divus Augustus, paragraph 42. Translation: Robert Graves, 1957. , 1957
Behold them, conquerors of the world, the toga-clad race of Romans!
Said disparagingly of a group of men in cloaks, quoting Virgil's The Aeneid. Augustus allowed only those wearing a toga and no cloak to enter the Forum; in Suetonius, Divus Augustus, paragraph 40. Translation: Robert Graves, 1957. , 1957
Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!
Said of Publius Quinctilius Varus, who commanded the three legions lost at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest; in Suetonius, Divus Augustus, paragraph 23. Translation: Robert Graves, 1957. , 1957
Timeline
The story of Augustus, told in moments.
Born Gaius Octavius in Rome. His family is wealthy but not noble. His great-uncle is Julius Caesar, who has no legitimate sons.
Caesar is assassinated. His will names 18-year-old Octavian as adopted son and primary heir. The boy has no army, no political office, no allies. He takes Caesar's name and begins collecting what's owed to him.
Battle of Actium. His general Agrippa destroys the combined fleet of Mark Antony and Cleopatra off the coast of Greece. Antony and Cleopatra flee to Egypt. Both commit suicide within the year. Octavian is 32 and has no rivals left.
The Senate grants him the title "Augustus." He pretends to restore the Republic. He holds no crown, wears no purple. He controls the army, half the provinces, and the treasury. The trick works. The Republic dies without anyone admitting it.
The month of Sextilis is renamed August in his honor. He's built roads, aqueducts, a fire brigade, a police force. Rome's population reaches one million. He finds it a city of brick and leaves it a city of marble. His own words.
Dies at Nola, near Naples. He is 75, the longest reign of any Roman emperor. His last words, reportedly: "Have I played the part well? Then applaud as I exit." The Pax Romana he built lasts another 150 years.
Artifacts (11)
Sardonyx cameo of a double capricorn with a portrait of the emperor Augustus
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