augustus

Question 1

Battle of Actium Quotes

Answer 1

Virgil Aeneid presents 2 huge armies fighting against each other - reality easy victory for Aug - trying to mythologise the battle.
Res Gestae - “Whole of Italy of its own accord” demanded Octavian as its commander
Veillus Paterculus, History of Rome - Aug. greeted by “huge crowds and universal acclaim” when returning from Actium and campaigns in Egypt + Dalmatia.

Question 2

1st Constitutional Settlement Quotes

Answer 2

Dio, Roman History - “Power of both people and senate” given to Augustus
Res Gestae 34 - “I exceeded influence of all, however I had no more power than my colleagues in each magistracy” - could explain Veillus Paterculus History of Rome “Old traditional form of the republic was restored”
Dio depicts details of FCS, thinks Aug’s reason for FCS - “Senators should be unarmed and unprepared for war, while he possessed arms + controlled troops”

Question 3

Second Constitutional Settlement Quotes

Answer 3

Dio mentions how Aug gained IPM
Tacitus annals - “Equality had been abandoned and all looked to the command of the princeps” after 2CS
Tacitus - tribunicia potestas “gave Augustus a means to express his supremacy and leave no doubt his intended successor”
Veillus Paterculus History of Rome - “force was restored to the laws, authority to the courts, majesty to the senate”
Strabo, geography - IPM made Augustus the “supreme ruler for life”

Question 4

Augustus moral reforms quotes

Answer 4

Suetonius, Augustus - not wishing for “native Roman stock to be tainted with foreign or servile blood”
Fasti (AD 17) by Ovid seems to praise Augustus’ reforms
Suetonius Augustus - “burned more than two thousand” of prophetic books and “made a choice even among” the sibylline books - edited them

Question 5

Augustus quotes on power

Answer 5

Res Gestae “I refused to accept any power offered to me which was contrary to the traditions of our ancestors”
Veillus Paterculus History of Rome - Augustus “refused” when the “people persistently offered” the role of dictator to Augustus

Question 6

Augustus and the Senate quotes

Answer 6

Werner Eck Aug needed to make sure “all the real decision-making power remained in his hands”
Tacitus Annals, “how many had lived to see the republic”
Macrobius Saturnalia - Augustus had “unasked, paid of the debts of a senator who was a friend of his”
Suetonius Augustus - “To enable more men to take part in the administration of the State” - allowing them to get more political experiences

Question 7

Augustus and the people quotes

Answer 7

Juvenal Satire X - Roman people interested in “bread and circuses” - largesse + entertainment
Tacitus Annals, “seduced the soldiers with gifts, the people with corn, and everyone with the delights of peace”
Res Gestae details corn shortage 22 BC “I freed the people, at my own expense”
Res Gestae mentions numerous acts of largesse, such as 24BC “four hundred sesterces apiece”
Res Gestae mentions numerous large events “Three times in my own name I gave a show of gladiators, and five times in the name of my sons or grandsons; in these shows there fought about ten thousand men.”

Question 8

Augustus and Peace Quotes

Answer 8

Horace Odes - “free at last from war”
Res Gestae - “The Senate ordered” for the doors of the temple of Janus Quirinus to be closed - mirrored by Suetonius “He secured peace on land and sea”
Paterculus History of Rome “The wounds inflicted by long a series of conflicts were healing back together”
Virgil - Augustus brings back a “golden age” - Republic, peace.

Question 9

Augustus and his Successors quotes

Answer 9

Veillus Paterculus portrays Tiberius as ideal successor and seamless transition - writing under Tib.
Tacitus annals details Augustus’ many attempts at finding a successor, and how he had a “consuming desire” to see Gaius and Lucius as “consuls designate and princes of the youth” - desperate for successors
Suetonius mentions how Aug “forced Tiberius to adopt” Germanicus - setting up ongoing line of succession.
Annals TP “leaves no doubt his intended successor” - Aug used TP to designate candidates for succession - both Agrippa and Tiberius would receive TP in 18BC and 6BC

Question 10

Battle of Actium

Answer 10

September 31 BC - marked end of civil war between Antony + Augustus.
Augustus commanded forces of western Roman Empire with Agrippa, fought against Antony and Cleopatra
Ant +. Cleo fled battle + committed suicide in 30

Question 11

Aftermath of Actium

Answer 11

Augustus founded Nikopolis near battle site (victory city) - monument w/ battle inscription overlooking sea
Augustus used literature to popularise message that victory at Actium marked new era of peace for Rome:
Virgil Aeneid and Horace Odes depict victory over foreign menace - not Antony
Augustus faced little opposition when returning to Rome

Question 12

First Constitutional Settlement

Answer 12

January 13 27 BC
Aug didn’t want to appear to be seizing power, instead restoring republic he had fought so hard for
FCS gave Augustus: Civic crown, Shield of Virtue, doorposts decorated w/laurel, the title of Augustus, position of Princeps and power over provinces including super province Spain Gaul and Syria
Aug. claimed provinces still needed pacification, other provinces designated public - controlled by Senate
10 year limit on power - republican
Position of princeps as first citizen - equal to everyone else (Res Gestae quote)

Question 13

Second Constitutional Settlement

Answer 13

23 BC - gave him powers of emperor
Gave up position of consul
Imperium Proconsulare Maius - reaffirmed Princeps as head of Roman army, allowed Aug. to overrule any provincial governor and allowed command over army to be inherited - setting up legacy
Tribunicia Potestas - Able to suggest + veto laws (such as morality laws)

Question 14

Augustus’ Moral Reforms

Answer 14

Morality laws 18-17 BC - Julian laws on duties of husbands and constraining adultery
Both laws designed promote legitimacy of offspring among Rome’s upper classes - promoting traditional family values (Republican?)
Pontifex Maximus from 12 BC - moral authority in Rome
Destroyed 2000 volumes of prophetic verse
Edited Sibylline books - rewriting tradition

Question 15

Augustus and the Senate

Answer 15

Revised Senatorial role 3 times
Reduced size of Senate to 700, those who supported Antony severely taxed, by 18 BC only 600 senators
Increased property qualifications to be senator to 1 million HS from 400,000
Leading senators could serve as praefectus urbi
Banned senators from province of Egypt
Consilium Principis discussed issues before Senate
5% inheritance tax in AD 6 to help fund military

Question 16

Augustus and the people

Answer 16

Used 2 methods to gain loyalty, entertainment and largesse.
22 BC, 1st year Augustus not consul people rioted over lack of corn, demanded Aug. dictator so he could deal with it.
Handed out many various times, such as 400 sesterces each in 24 BC

Question 17

Augustus and Peace

Answer 17

Augustus brought peace to Rome with the Battle of Actium, ending a century of constant battles and civil wars - Caesar/Pompey, Antony/Octavian.
However only real peace as Augustus had sole control over the army due to his Imperium Proconsulare Maius - no chance of civil war
To bring about peace he removed possibility of republic
Doors of janus closed

Question 18

Augustus and his successors

Answer 18

Augustus married his daughter Julia to Marcus Agrippa, after previous husband Marcellus (Aug’s nephew) died in 23BCE 3 heirs, Gaius, Lucius and Agrippa posthumous
Senate decreed Gaius + Lucius princeps iuventutis (leader of youth) and made consuls designate at age 15
Gaius + Lucius died AD 4 and AD 2, Tiberius adopted by Augustus, and had to adopt his nephew Germancius in AD 4 - line of succession (not republican)