...Augustus Caesar Born Gaius Octavius, Augustus was born in September of 63 B.C. Octavius' father, Gaius Octavius, was a praetor for two years until he died in 58 B.C. Therefore, Octavius grew up without a father for most of his life. Through Octavius' long life of seventy-seventy years, he accomplished a great deal. He reduced the size of the Senate, he was an integral part of the second triumvirate, and he was elected the Pontifex Maximus, just to name a few of these accomplishments. Octavius received the name Augustus by holding the consulship and receiving various awards. This title was not given out to just anyone. In order to receive this title, one must be a large contributor to the city (Boardman 533-534). Octavius Caesar was related to the famous Julius Caesar through Octavius' mother. Atria was Octavius' grandmother and Julius Caesar's sister, therefore making Octavius his great-nephew. When Julius Caesar was murdered in 44 B.C., his will read that Octavius was to be adopted by him, making Octavius his son and heir to the Roman Empire. Also, in his will it stated that every citizen of Rome would receive a cash gift. Octavius rushed to Rome to take his throne, but when he arrived in Rome, he realized the Antony had already taken control of the city. He could not persuade Antony to release the money in Julius Caesar's treasury so he had to borrow all the money he could to give the gifts to the citizens. Julius Octavius Caesar was only eighteen when he was thrust...
Words: 2373 - Pages: 10
...AUGUSTUS CAESAR (27BC-14AD) Augustus Caesar of Rome was born with the given name Gaius Octavius. He took the name Gaius Julius Caesar after the death of his great uncle and adoptive father Julius Caesar. Caesar made Octavia the heir and willed his properties to him. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/IA2JWkCTthXSjr1Ak5E8Qts3npV2n4moOnu54fhpyHvvYChyYaKxcbkecGT0ZEXPWTl9mNIVv9PBzVkXljJruWII6ArN_Tp6xNMKu51rzXYlYrluveffi70i5Jxk03NobFo1qy0 Marcus Antonius also called Mark Anthony was Julius Caesar’s top lieutenant. Mark Anthony, Caesar Octavian, and another Roman General, Marcus Lepidus, formed the second Triumvirate. Mark Anthony took Caesar’s possession of his papers and assets and expected that he himself would be the principal heir. He refused to hand over Caesar’s funds, forcing Octavian to pay the late dictators bequest to the Roman populace. In 40 B.C, Anthony married Octavia, Octavian’s sister, and later left her for Queen Cleopatra in Egypt. When Anthony gave Roman provinces to his children by Cleopatra, Octavian declared war on Anthony. This is because, his children with Cleopatra were non-Roman citizens. The Roman Navy under Agrippa defeated the combined fleets of Antony and Cleopatra, and within a year, both had committed suicide. This battled was called the battle of Actium. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/gAkpU4UmLut4Di5t-pI0QwJyfQPqzr2ZzPQ4kUJXG_mtgP8oQAUyLK1J9aXgDE_Oug21-ZroDJxuKa5eazldunLqpTtClGUEhG-A_DHhnSTWTlkdKLmkKiOoQfnyaWQvahRi77whttps://lh5.googleusercontent...
Words: 502 - Pages: 3
...he Roman empire was a very big empire. The Roman army consisted of 30 legions. A legion consisted of 4,000 to 6,000 men soldiers. Women were not allowed to be in a legion. This means that the Roman are consisted of about 120,000 to 180,000 soldiers! In their army they also had auxiliary soldiers, these were not Roman citizens but they were most often in the front lines when Rome went to war. Caesar Augustus, who was born in 63 B.C., was one of Rome's finest emperors. Under Caesar's 40 year reign he almost doubled the size of the Roman Empire. One of Caesar Augustus's most famous quote is the one right before he died. He said, "I found Rome of clay; I leave it to you of marble," he then said to the people who had been with him through...
Words: 365 - Pages: 2
...Augustus (Octavian) Caesar was an extremely important man in the Roman Empire. He united Romans and brought them many great feats and a desperately needed time of peace. He brought victory through many civil wars, brought forth a constitutional settlement, and unified and strengthened the Empire. When Augustus came into power Rome had been experiencing some civil warring. These wars had started in the Late Republic between 146 and 27 B.C.E because of the huge divide between the classes. The rich were gaining more wealth and the poor were becoming even more poor. This split caused much tension and hostility. By 31 B.C.E Augustus had successfully won the civil war. He had lead his people to victory and began fixing the issues throughout the Roman Empire. The next thing Augustus Caesar did was create a constitutional settlement in 27 B.C.E. He managed to create a government ruled by an Emperor that still had the appearance of a republic. This was especially important because the Roman people despised one person rule. When one person was in charge they become greedy and abuse their power in the eyes of the Roman people. This is why anyone who took over ruling Rome for...
Words: 602 - Pages: 3
...Definition -- A compulsory contribution to state revenue, levied by the government on workers' income and business profits or added to the cost of some goods, services, and transactions. History of Taxes The first taxes were collected by ancient egyptians. In Greece they had taxes made special for war times. In the Roman empire Caesar Augustus was considered one of the most brilliant tax strategists. The citizens in Rome were given the responsibility to collect taxes. Augustus instituted an inheritance tax to provide retirement funds for the Military. He also had 1% sales tax for citizens and 4% for slaves. Colonial Taxes Our country would not be here today if it was not for taxes. Great Britain was in a lot of debt so they started...
Words: 326 - Pages: 2
...In 27 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianany historians see the beginning of the Roman Empire as the golden age of Roman literature and arts, however this period would also become known for its great extravagance and imperial notoriety. It's worth taking a look at the eras leading up to the Julio-Claudian dynasty and how each period's contributions would influence the Julio-Claudian emperors. The first era in Roman history, beginning in 753 BC and ending in 509 BC, came to be known as the Roman Kingdom. The Roman Kingdom is generally accepted as the founding of Rome itself. Little is certain about the history of the Roman Kingdom, as nearly no written records from that time have survived, and the historical records that were subsequently written are largely based on legends. It is thought to have begun with the settlements around the Palatine Hill in Central Italy. It is generally thought to have ended with the overthrow of the kings and the establishment of the Republic in approximately 509 BC. The period immediately following the Roman Kingdom came to be known as the Roman Republic, which began in 509 BC and continued through 27 BC. It was during this period that...
Words: 1456 - Pages: 6
...functioning republic when in fact they had full powers. The emperors slowly but gradually destroyed all the republican values. It was however a happier period than the roman republic. Augustus originally called Caius Octavius ruled from 27 BC to 14 AD. His talents gained him the regard of his great uncle, Julius Caesar, who declared himself willing to adopt him for his son, in case he should remain without children. His fidelity in carrying out the generous provisions of Caesar's will and his tactful course also played a key role in his rise to power. Augustus preserved the façade of republic institutions while functioning as a monarch because he wanted to assure the roman aristocracy of the return of normalcy of the republican procedure in rule. During this principate, Augustus adopted a conciliatory attitude with the senate and invested dignity and power in them to help him rule the provinces of the empire. The local conditions of the provinces were also improved during this period. Grants of money were given to various towns in Asia and the country was opened up when roads were built. Natural and secure frontiers were also established during this principate. Octavius also checked extravagance by enacting sanctuary laws which limited the amount to be spent on dinner, on ordinary days and on festivals. Augustus' reign was also rich in literature with authors that are known to this day including poets such Vergil, Ovid and Horace and historians such as Livy. It was thus important to have...
Words: 323 - Pages: 2
...the great Augustan period when it is better known for the Golden ages of Roman era. First empire begins with many civil wars within the empire by people of republicans and the great leaders like Julius Caesar. At the Caesarian time, people were greatly pleasured with wealth and strength of nation. However, when the many of nation’s senates set up an assassination of Caesar, and bring the nation back to republican nation, the nation, again, shakes in civil wars and fights amongst themselves. Therefore, heroic character rises into this chaotic time of Rome, C. Octavius. He is stepson of Caesar who was inherited in power by Caesar. By it means, people had much interest in him, and he was served in people’s favor. One fact that he is well known for many of his work in the beginning of Roman empire, I was driven to his life and accomplishments. “At a time when the whole world is still facing after-war prob-lems of rehabilitation, material and spiritual, and in the bewilder-ment of chaos needs light from every source, it occurred to me that it would be of value to review the great period of Roman reconstruction, the Augustan age, to see if from the problems it faced, its solutions and its failures, any suggestions might appear for reconstruction today.” (Haight 335) History of Augustus is a great source even now. We can learn from the mistakes, especially in achievements and successful cases are perfect examples to repeat from the history. Now, I want to introduce the great Augustan...
Words: 2271 - Pages: 10
...Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book I Kings, Empires, Bigotries and Victories Introduction There are two parts in this essay: the former part Kings and Empires compares the beginning of the universe with the formation of empires and looks at the several transformations of the world as the manifestations of the great power of the ruler; whilst the latter part Bigotries and Victories takes reference from the the quote “History is written by the victors” and the bias narrations in some stories to bring out the darker attributes of the worldly reality and its celebrated protagonists. Kings and Empires It is said that an unknown god commanded the jumbled elements in the universe to fall into order. Then, he assigned characteristics to these elements; fire is the lightest while water is the heaviest. To this mighty god, the world without boundaries was chaotic and restless. By being powerful enough to command and order these rudiments, he laid out systems and set up the foundations of the universe itself. His values became ‘the order’ and his words became ‘the law’. The creator and Jupiter are thus similar, as both at one time, ruled the cosmos and wielded this great power of the king. However, they should not be confused as the gravity of influence new rulers can bring to the world could have been another analogy that Ovid may have wanted to make through his retelling of the banishment of Saturn, Jupiter’s father. Throughout the text, the kingship of the universe has changed...
Words: 1149 - Pages: 5
...a) What do these passages tell us about how Augustus treated members of his family? (10) According to to the passage by Younger Seneca, Augustus could be seen as rather harsh in dealing with his daughter Julia, as due to her 'promiscuity' and 'the scandals' these led to, he 'sent his own daughter into exile' as not only was she said to make 'herself available to armies of adulterers', it was believed her favourite place to carry out these acts was where Augustus 'had moved the law against adultery', showing the lack of respect Julia had for her father. The passage then goes on to show how Augustus tried to shame Julia out of her ways by making her actions known to the public, showing that although this could also be seen as a harsh way to treat your daughter, it does show he cared about her and did try other methods to make her stop her ways before exiling her due to 'shame'. Tacitus also shows us Augustus' no nonsense approach to family members, especially those involved with Julia as he shows how Augustus 'executed' his nephew, Illius Antonius 'for adultery with Julia', however he did not stop at this, he even sent Illius' son Lucius Antonius, who at the time was 'little more than a boy' to the 'state of Massilia', effectively exiling him 'under the pretext of furthering his academic studies', showing Augustus could be rather ruthless towards family members, even those who had done nothing wrong if it meant keeping them away from Julia, also showing he was rather protective...
Words: 1133 - Pages: 5
...even before the emperor of that time did, or they were challenged and then under suspicious circumstances, murdered. The central reason of all the convolutions involved in trying to find an adequate successor, was mainly due to the Roman belief that family praise and glory were the most important things any Roman with authority should consider. And it by no doubt dominated the Romans on how they behaved. Augustus had introduced laws that the princeps or the title of the emperor could not be passed down like a monarchy, but could only be approved by the senate, but it eventually became inheritable. The senate had historically been allowed to pass on their status to their descendants, and so succession within the family was by no doubt acceptable, we can prove this by highlighting the fact that Augustus himself wanted to choose a successor who had been related to Julius Caesar or himself, this had been followed for many years after Augustus’ death even though it had not been passed on as a law. The Julio-Claudian dynasty had been carried out by Rome’s first 5 emperors; Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. However after the death of Nero, the Julio-Claudian dynasty had come to an end at 68 AD. Most emperors during the period of...
Words: 3321 - Pages: 14
...Long essay How Christianity affected the empire * Think in term of centuries * Constantine Germans, army, borders * German influence lead to the end of the empire * Battle of Adrianople Germans beat romans * Start taking parts of Rome * Bad emperors in west * Bad economy lets Germans in Short essay The splitting of the empire * Why do they split * Why does the west fall * How are they different in culture, language * West has bad emperors * East pays people no to invade Emergence of absolute autocracy * Augustus * Power of the emperor Who is the most important person in second triumvirate * Augustus * Sets of empire * What world did he create with reforms * Makes it seem like he is going back to old time values Dates Edict of toleration 313 AD Founding of Constantinople 330 AD Fall of western Rome (fall of the roman empire) 476 AD Start of the empire 27 BCE When Germans sacked Rome 410 CE?? Study 11-5 to present Christianity Chronology 64 First persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero 274 Birthdat of Constantine 303 Great Persecution begins and Diocletion issues edict that bans the practice of christianity 312 Constantine embraces christianity after vision 313 Edict of Milan tolerates christians 324 Constantine is sole emperor of Rome 326 Edicts of Constantine against Christian heretics 330 Constantinople "New Rome" 341 Imperial...
Words: 1478 - Pages: 6
...Rome: The Age of Augustus (32 BC – AD 14) Augustus’ Frontiers and Foreign Campaigns Rome was already seven centuries old at the dissolution of the Republic and her empire substantially in place when her first emperor took the purple. In step with long and glorious achievements both in war and diplomacy, there had grown assumptions of Rome’s omnipotence and eternity, coupled with the belief that her outward march had no limits save those which ocean, unprofitable climate and terrain might impose. Despite the calamity of civil wars, which had brought Augustus to the throne, confidence towards the outside world remained unshaken. (Williams, D, 1996:1) Origin of the Frontier Army By 27 BC, the year of Augustus’ accession, Rome had formed the habit of expansion, but had not yet reached geographical limits which might modify that habit. His reign would be crucial to the frontier idea, for during it Rome encountered these limits and the influences which guided her towards perimeter defence were first felt. The origin of the frontier in its full and formal sense thus coincided almost exactly with the beginning of the empire, though the emergence of actual boundary works still lay some decades ahead. The civil wars had ended on a dangerous note. On the winning side alone sixty legions stood combat ready, a factor which compelled an urgent and radical review of the army’s future. Augustus decided to retain twenty-eight, while the remainder would be demobilised and settled in colonies...
Words: 1429 - Pages: 6
...in real. Thus, the image that was circulating around the vast empire through coins, sculptures and buildings was a clever and powerful way to mold public opinion and flaunt the sovereign’s achievements. The works produced for that purpose are innumerable and, according to the historical period, vary in details and representation. In the Early Empire, Augustus was only 32 years old when he defeated Antony and Cleopatra at Actium, ending a Roman Republic governed by elders for over 500 years. The primary task for the new emperor, who advertised himself as a son of a god (his father Caesar was designated the honor of god after his death), was to produce a youthful appearance. Throughout his entire reign, his image was molded to present a god-like general who luckily never aged. His portraits also carried a powerful, political message. In the portrait of Augustus as a general from Primaporta, he “wears a cuirass advertis[ing] an important diplomatic victory” (198). Additionally, the presence of a cupid at his feet is a reminder of his “divine descent” thanks to the Julians’ family relation with Venus. During his empire, Augustus brought peace to the Roman Empire after a long period of civil wars. His biggest achievement was accordingly celebrated by the creation of one of the most...
Words: 443 - Pages: 2
...Two thousand years previous, the world was ruled by Rome. From England to Africa and from Syria to Spain, one in each four individuals on earth lived and went ahead under Roman law. The Roman Empire in the first century AD blended refinement with brutality and could all of a sudden impact from human headway, quality and essentialness to trepidation, misuse and voracity. The Roman Empire, at its stature (c. 117 CE), was the most wide political and social structure in western human movement. By 285 CE the space had ended up being exorbitantly inconceivable, making it difficult to be in any way drove from the focal government at Rome as was isolated by EmperorDiocletian into a Western and an Eastern Empire. The RomanEmpire started when Augustus Caesar changed into the first head of Rome (31 BCE) and finished, in the west, when the last Roman sovereign, Romulus Augustulus, was rejected by the Germanic King Odoacer (476 CE). In the east, it proceeded as the Byzantine Empire until the passing of Constantine XI and the fall ofConstantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 CE. The impact of the Roman Empire on western human movement was significant in its proceeding with obligations to inside and out that truly matters each bit of western society....
Words: 1215 - Pages: 5
