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Augustus

Augustus. ingenium Augusti. conservative ambitious self-confident disciplined frugal cold and calculated. issues. a ccusations of cowardice sixty legions (military industrial complex/ retirement) people want someone to seize power hatred of rex / legal issues

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Augustus

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  1. Augustus

  2. ingenium Augusti • conservative • ambitious • self-confident • disciplined • frugal • cold and calculated

  3. issues • accusations of cowardice • sixty legions (military industrial complex/ retirement) • people want someone to seize power • hatred of rex/ legal issues • conspiracies/ political enemies • fear of civil war/ succession

  4. taking control • loyalty of Agrippa • Battle of Actium • victory in Egypt – displayed remains of Alexander the Great • three triumphs (Balkans, Actium, and Egypt) • “imperator” • death of Ceasarion “Two Caesars is one Caesar too many.” • continuous consulships • role of Maecenas: squashing conspiracies, and propoganda

  5. consolidating military and political power – working within constitutional precedent • reduce 60 legions to 28 legions (retirement paid for by the wealth of Egypt) • most hard core Republicans gone • “princeps” • attempts to reduce the Senate – creation of committees • 27 BC Settlement with the Senate – proconsular power over provinces with legions • granted tribunician power (potestastribunatis) • granted at large proconsular authority • Praetorian Guard

  6. 27 BC Settlement

  7. consolidating religious power • “Augustus” (revered one) • construction of the temple to Apollo (Sybilline Books moved their from the temple of Juppiter) • Agrippa constructs the Pantheon • Pontifex Maximus after the death of Lepidus • “The Divine Augustus”, “Prince of Peace”, “Son of God”

  8. military expeditions • re-establish Roman control of Spain, Gaul, Armenia, and the Alps • recovery of lost legionary standards from Parthia • declared war with Germania (flimsy casus belli) • Varus betrayed by Herman. Varus led 17th, 18th, and 19th legions into a trap laid by Herman in the Teutoburg Forest (survival of English?)

  9. social reform • abhorred declining morality, declining birthrates • laws to encourage children • laws to discourage unmarried life • laws against adultery (hypocrisy?) • patron of the arts: Maecenas, Horace, Vergil, Ovid • The Art of Love and the exile of Ovid

  10. problems of succession • civil war? • sickly • Marriage of daughter Julia to Octavia’s son, Marcellus • death of Marcellus • “You have made Agrippa so powerful, he must now become your son in law or be killed.” (Maecenas) • Agrippa marries widowed Julia – have many children • step-sons Tiberius and Drusus (Livia’s sons from her first marriage) put in charge of military expeditions • death of Drusus in Germania (Tiberius races across hostile territory) • unhappy marriage of Tiberius and widowed Julia (Agrippa dies/ Tiberius forced to divorce Visania) – self imposed exile of Tiberius, banishment of Julia and lovers • Tiberius recalled from exile after the deaths of Julia’s sons, Lucius and Gaius. Tiberius adopts Germanicus (Drusus’ son) • “ahh, to have never married, and childless to have died” (Iliad) banishment of granddaughter Julia and grandson Agrippa Posthumous • Immediate murder of Agrippa Posthumous following the death of Augustus.

  11. legacy • PaxRomana • Res Gestae • establishment of permanent civil service throughout empire (made up of competent professional freedmen) • “I found it a city of brick and left it a city of marble”: building of roads, infrastructure, relay stations – communication networks, aqueducts, temples, baths • established professional firefighting and police force • Roman Army paid by government treasury • Praetorian Guard

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