Augustus

Europe: Rome, Italy

27 BCE-14 CE

By Kyler Quah

The tale of Augustus

Augustus Gaius Octavius Thurinus was born on 23 September 63 BCE (Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, n.d.). He was the first Emperor of the Roman Empire, ruling for 41 years from 27 BCE to 14 CE (Augustus, n.d.). Adopted by Julius Caesar in his will, he inherited the lineage of royalty and power and was given the title ‘Augustus’, meaning ‘majestic’ (Augustus (title), n.d.). Since then, the title has become associated with Octavius (History.com, n.d.). His reign is most known for Pax Romana (Augustus, n.d.), a time of order and peace, which was very rare during that Empire. However, due to Augustus being remembered for his contributions to his people, it is easy to forget some of the ruthless acts Augustus committed to obtain and maintain power.

‍

August has Arrived

Augustus has led his army to many wars during his rise to power. While this is normal in history for leaders, Augustus wanted to immortalize the connection between war and himself. He was titled Imperator as his first name, which translates to successful war leader, displaying his pride in killing conquering land. Despite this, people knew that Augustus was only adopted by Julius Caesar, and was not in direct inheritance of the throne because of Caesarion (Eck, 1998). Caesarion was Julius Caesar’s biological son, and the true successor to rule. To ensure a direct path to the throne, Augustus ended the life of Caesarion (Gill & Braund, 2003), while citing that too many rulers are bad, justifying the benefit of one sole ruler. There is also speculation that Augustus had 300 soldiers murdered at a sacred area as a tribute to the death of Julius Caesar.

‍

No Exception for the Wicked

Augustus did not relent on his ruthlessness, even for family members. Although Augustus was married three times, his only offspring, Julia, came from his first wife, Clodia. Regardless, Augustus divorced and left Clodia right before the birth of Julia. Augustus was also known for his creation of Augustan Leges Iuliae, also known as Augustus’s laws. One of his most prominent laws in this was on the topic of adultery. People who were guilty were punished by getting exiled to an island. Julia, his only true offspring, was committed of adultery, and received no exception from Augustus. She was banished to an island, and even her daughter received the same fate from Augustus, being banished to an island in the Adriatic region (Johnson, n.d.).

‍

August or Augustus?

The month of August symbolizes marriage and family (SHGResources, 2012), going against what Augustus displayed to his family members. Another level of irony here is that August is named in tribute for Augustus (Augustus, n.d.), someone who showed traits of ruthlessness against his own family members. However, does this exactly make him ruthless?

The Roman Empire has a history of chaos and known for the absence of peace (Pax Romana, n.d.). This was until Augustus stepped in as leader. According to John Middleton (2004), Augustus was known for Pax Romana, a period of lawfulness and order, which is very rare among his predecessors. Focusing on building and advancing Imperial Rome, he initiated many new projects such as a “firefighting” team. This was done by supplying his own money (Middleton, 2004). Not only that, he implemented laws and structure to ensure Rome would not crumble under internal factors. Another example that showcases Augustus’s generosity towards his people is seen in Suetonius’s account, a Roman historian who wrote about the Roman Empire about 40 years after Augustus’s death. In one example, Augustus returned with lavish rewards that it fluctuated the price of money (Suetonius, 121). For people who were unable to afford accommodation, Augustus would willingly pay the remaining with his own money, ensuring his people would live properly. These efforts were not unappreciated by his people, as they built memorials to worship Augustus’s glory (Edmondson, 2009). According to Edmonson (2009), people were also claiming Augustus to be the symbol for “Peace”

Furthermore, arguably the most notable artifact of Augustus, the Res Gestae Divi Augusti is a self-written perspective on Augustus by Augustus. In this document, it accounts for his list of accolades. In a translated source by Thomas Bushnell (1998), it was stated that Augustus exacted revenge on Julius Caesar’s killers. This shows that he is willing to eliminate any potential threats to safeguard his country. It also accounted the numerous occurrences where he forked out his own money to develop his empire (Bushnell, 1998). These acts of services were towards the ordinary man, military forces and the “treasury”. Given that Augustus wrote this himself, there may be a lack of credibility as he may have done this to improve his image and left a positive legacy, perhaps with a subtle propaganda motive. However, external sources can attribute to his acts of services for the country.

In conclusion, I believe like every other successful general, Augustus has had his fair share of war and bloodshed. While it is arguable that he showed no remorse to his immediate family members, evidence shows that Augustus considered the people of Rome as his own. However, I would like to leave with the impression that Augustus also had a big heart and empathy for his own people, often giving up his own assets to ensure the prosperity of his people.
‍

‍

References

Primary Source:

De vita Caesarum (The Twelve Caesars), 121, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Caesars and http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Augustus.html

Res Gestae Divi Augusti, 14 CE, Augustus, Retrieved from http://classics.mit.edu/Augustus/deeds.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Res_Gestae_Divi_Augusti

Secondary Source:

Augustus. n.d. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus

Augustus (title). n.d. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_(title)

Eck, W. (1998). The Age of Augustus. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/doc/53520563/The-Age-of-Augustus-by-Werner-Eck-1st-Edition

Edmonson, J. ( 2009). Augustus. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/lib/buffalo/detail.action?docID=536992

Gill, C. & Braund, D. (2003). Myth, History and Culture in Republican Rome: Studies in Honour of T.P. Wiseman. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=Xlcp-K-MuNoC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ViewAPI&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

History.com. (2018, August 21). Augustus. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/emperor-augustus

Johnson, N. (n.d.). The Rise to Power of Octavian. Retrieved from http://mariuspress.com/The%20Rise%20to%20Power%20of%20Octavian.pdf

Middleton, J. (2004). World Monarchies and Dynasties. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/lib/buffalo/detail.action?docID=3569202

Pax Romana. n.d. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Romana

SHG Resources. (2012). Birth Months, Flowers, and Gemstones. Retrieved from https://archive.is/20120911093344/http://www.shgresources.com/gems/birthflowers/#selection-1297.0-1297.36

Nero

Europe: Roman Empire

54-68 CE

By Cheryl Poh

The Last of His Bloodline

A gold aureus of 54CE depicting Nero and Agrippina of equal ruling status

Throughout the 14 years of Nero’s reign, he epitomized the ruthlessness of ancient Rome and earned himself the title for worst ruler. However, he wasn’t all that way back when he first ascended the throne in the year 54CE and this can be inferred from a gold aureus (a gold coin of ancient Rome used as currency) traced back to the beginning of his reign. The aureus tells us a time when he and his mother, Agrippina the Younger, ruled as equals. A time before chaos engulfed Rome, a period of political generosity and development. So, when did Nero turn into a megalomaniac that ended his blood line’s dynasty?

‍

The Rise of Nero

Born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbu, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (37-68CE) was bestowed this name by his great-uncle and emperor, Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. He was adopted during the remarriage of his mother, Agrippina the Younger, to emperor Claudius (History.com Editors, 2018).

As Nero grew older, Agrippina secured the position of primary heir for him despite Claudius having a biological son, Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus (Southon, 2016). She convinced Claudius to take Nero under his wing and teach him the ropes for ruling an empire. Agrippina further sealed her son’s path to the throne by arranging a marriage between Nero and the emperor’s daughter Claudius Octavia in the year 53CE (History.com Editors, 2018).

A year later, Nero would ascend the throne at age 17 as his stepfather, emperor Claudius, was suspected to have been murdered by Agrippina, his beloved wife and niece (Osgood, 2011, p. 243).
‍

The Coin

Thus, began the new era of Rome with Nero as its emperor and ruler, and his mother, Agrippina as his regent and empress. Nero kick-started his reign by ushering a golden aureus that marks the start of a new leadership; an aureus that depicts both the head of him and Agrippina facing each other – symbolizing equal status and equal importance (Southon, 2016).

Such forms of power sharing are uncommon in the ancient world especially for women in Rome.
‍

The Rebel

Throughout the beginning of Nero’s reign, he had ruled the Roman court and empire with a velvet glove under Agrippina’s influence and control over him (Southon, 2016). However, such arrangements were short lived when Seneca persuaded Nero to leave his mother’s imperious ways, allowing him to fully understand his position and power as an emperor (History.com Editors, 2018). This was when Rome saw the last and best years of his reign, as well as the commencement of his debaucheries, murderous, and genocidal ways.

When Nero decided to rebel and withdraw all power from Agrippina, the Senate and the Roman people follow suite, driving her into retreat from the roman court (Southon, 2016). However, Agrippina was in denial of such an outcome and liaised with senators that were still loyal to her as well as her stepson, Britannicus, in effort to overthrow Nero (Southon, 2016). This led Nero to order the death of Britannicus in 55CE (Osgood, 2011, p. 233), possibly due to his mother’s threats by utilizing his status as the ‘rightful heir’.

Subsequently, after a few years of causing a scene in Nero’s life, he committed matricide by collapsing Agrippina’s boat with the intentions of taking her life (Shannon, 2012, p. 749). Unfortunately, he failed in that attempt to kill her and thus he had his mother stabbed to death in her villa; Agrippina died in 59CE, following it was the exiled and execution of his wife, Octavia (History.com Editors, 2018).

Soon after, Nero married his second wife Poppaea Sabina in 62CE (History.com Editors, 2018). However, his brutal murders did not stop there, he allegedly drowned Poppaea’s son from her previous marriage and when she was pregnant with his child, he kicked her to death (Tacitus, 2018).

Nero’s tyrannical acts continued into the year 64CE, Rome was engulfed in flames due to circumstances still unknown to many. But amidst the search for the arsonist, Nero’s was accused of burning his empire down because he could or for the purpose of clearing space to build his new residency (Davenport and Malik, 2016). Although he was only a suspect in the case, he wanted to clear his name and did so by capturing the Christians to use as scapegoats for the arson; he ordered the genocide of Christians and had them all burned alive for justice (Clayton, 1947 pp. 81-85). There were no specific reasons as to why Nero chose the Christians or why he hated them so much, their record was clean, and one can only suggest that he regarded them as being similar to the Jews – a foreign superstition which Claudius disliked (Tacitus, 1872, p. 441).

In the final years of his reign (65-68CE), a plot was conspired to assassinate emperor Nero due to his incapability to salvage the Roman empire. As his kingdom was falling apart, he took a tour to Greece and indulged himself in theatrical arts and music, and upon his return, his people have turned against him, forcing him to flee; unfortunately, his attempts were futile and he took his own life eventually (History.com, 2016).

‍

The Aftermath ‍

One could view this golden aureus and think of the only time where Nero was known for his political peace in the Romanian court. All in all, Nero was undoubtedly one of the most tyrannical and ruthless rulers of ancient Rome. Whether the actions of matricide and fratricide can be explained with the conditions of ancient context, one should question if Nero was indeed in his right mind for ordering the execution of so many of his family members – it seems that he had indeed no regard for human life, whether it was then or now. However, one has to take into the account of his family history, where his mother, Agrippina, exposed him to circumstances where the only resolution is to resort to such repulsive methods in order to eliminate threat. Thus, when he grew older and realised the amount of power he wields, he felt the need to destroy anything or anyone that could possibility be a threat or get in his way. This probably paved the way towards his destructive nature and atrocious reputation for decades to come.

References

Primary Source:

Kleiner, F.S. (2010). Aureus with obverse portrait of Nero and Agrippina the Younger. Retrieved from http://digital.lib.buffalo.edu.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/items/show/30371‍

Secondary Source:

Clayton, F.W. (1947). Tacitus and Nero’s Persecution of the Christians. Classical Quarterly. doi: 10.1017/S0009838800026082

Devenport, C., & Malik, S. (2016, September 28). Mythbusting Ancient Rome – emperor Nero. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/mythbusting-ancient-rome-the-emperor-nero-65797 ‍

History.com Editors. (2018, August 21). Nero. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/nero

Osgood, J. (2011). Claudius Caesar: Image and Power in the Early Roman Empire. United States of America: Cambridge University Press, New York

Shannon, K. (2012, November 20). Memory, Religion and History in Nero’s Great Fire: Tacitus, Annals 15.41-7, The Classical Quarterly, 62(2), 749-765. doi:10.101/S0009838812000298

Southon, E. (2016, November 15). Agrippina the Younger: Unofficial First Empress of the Roman Empire. Retrieved from http://etc.ancient.eu/education/agrippina-the-younger/‍

Tacitus (2018). Tacitus: Annals Book XV, Book 15. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9780511842214

Tacitus. & Cornelius. (1872). Annals of Tacitus with a commentary by the Rev. Percival Frost. Bibliotheca Classica. Retrieved from https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015002251596;view=1up;seq=546 ‍

‍

Keyboard accessibility:

‍
Home • About • West Asia • North Africa • Europe • East Asia • South America • Central Asia • Africa