Introduction


Augustus Caesar
He ruled an empire that stretched from Spain to Judea and turned the Mediterranean Sea into a peaceful Roman lake. Augustus Caesar, born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was a part of the triumvirate that took over the rule of Rome after the murder of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. When the triumvirate fell apart, he took sole power of Rome in 27 BC when the Roman Senate voted him the title of Augustus, which means “illustrious one.” Later they would worship him, and all the emperors that followed him, as a god. Augustus’s rule marked the beginning of nearly 200 years of peace called the Pax Romana.

Essential Facts

  1. Augustus was already an adult when Julius Caesar adopted him. Caesar had no male heir and had been impressed when the then-named Octavius made a perilous journey through hostile territory to join Caesar’s army. Octavius was a plebeian, the lower class of Rome, until his adoption by Caesar made him a patrician.
  2. Part of the reason for the deterioration of the triumvirate of Octavius, Marc Antony, and Marcus Lepidus was Antony’s involvement with Cleopatra. Antony was already married to Octavius’s sister when he made a marriage contract with Cleopatra. This duplicity did not sit well and Octavius used the incident to raise an army to defeat Antony.
  3. Augustus’s reorganization of the provincial Roman system created a stable environment for collecting taxes and administrating government throughout the empire.
  4. Augustus married Livia Drusilla, who had been married to Tiberius Claudius Nero. Both Augustus and Livia divorced their respective spouses to marry.
  5. Augustus lived a long life and served Rome well. When he died in AD 14 at the age of 77, he was declared a Roman god, and every emperor after him adopted the title of Caesar.
 

Recommended Resources

  1. Augustus Biography
  2. Augustus: The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization
  3. Roman Empire - Information, Facts, and Links
  4. Roman Empire: Salem on History

All Resources

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  4. Augustan age: The Oxford Companion to English Literature
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  6. Augustus: Oxford Dictionary of World History
  7. Augustus: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology
  8. Augustus: The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization
  9. Battles of Philippi: Salem on History
  10. Caesar, Julius: The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization
  11. Cleopatra VII Biography
  12. Completion of the Augustan Settlement: Salem on History
  13. Establishment of the Julian Calendar: Salem on History
  14. forum Romanum: The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization
  15. How Were The Months Of The Year Named? - Science Fact Finder
  16. I, Claudius Summary / Study Guide
  17. Julius Caesar Criticism | Further Reading
  18. Julius Caesar Summary and Study Guide - William Shakespeare
  19. Lives of the Caesars Summary - Suetonius - Salem on Literature
  20. Livia: The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization
  21. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Biography
  22. Pax Romana: Salem on History
  23. Roman Empire - Information, Facts, and Links
  24. Roman empire: Oxford Dictionary of World History
  25. Roman Empire: Salem on History
  26. Rome (history): The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization
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  28. The Caesars Summary - Allan Massie - Salem on Literature
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