Her name is synonomous with beauty and intrigue. For his huge contributions to Rome, he earned the posthumous title Divine Augustus. 14, he followed in his great-uncle’s footsteps one last time. ( Read why Rome's border walls were the beginning of its downfall.) Roman engineering urbanized provincial cities, helping transform conquered subjects into complacent Roman citizens. Cities prospered as Augustus and his successors built roads, aqueducts, baths, and amphitheaters to entertain the masses. Lands once plundered by Roman troops became docile provinces, subject to taxation but spared devastation unless they rebelled. Instead of conflict, Rome now imposed order. Notwithstanding battles in Germany and other contentious regions, Augustus initiated a tranquil era known as the Pax Romana that held sway for generations. He confidently halved the number of legions and settled veterans in colonies, which helped Romanize distant provinces and consolidate the empire. The ultimate source of Augustus Caesar’s power was the army. Augustus did maintain authority over the Senate, though, and exercised his veto power. He added senators from throughout Italy and empowered them to appoint independent proconsuls to govern Roman provinces. He calmed citizens fearful of tyranny by preserving the republic’s institutions, including the Senate. Like Darius I of Persia, Augustus was an organizational genius his administrative accomplishments surpassed his military feats. The vast Roman Empire, long contested by consuls and generals, was now firmly in the grasp of an emperor: Augustus Caesar. Returning to Rome in triumph, Octavian added the title Augustus (meaning “sacred” or “exalted”) to his adopted surname, Caesar, and remained imperator for life.
Learn about the rise and fall of this ancient civilization and how its influence still endures today. This great empire flourished through innovation and incorporation of the diverse cultures they conquered, such as the adoption of Latin and gladiatorial combat. Spanning over a thousand years, ancient Rome was a civilization of constant evolution.
( Follow Mark Antony and Cleopatra's decadent love affair.) When their fleet was defeated by the Romans at Actium in 31 B.C., Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide. Octavian denounced Antony as a man in the thrall of a foreign queen and waged war on the couple. He had children by Cleopatra and acknowledged Julius Caesar’s son, Caesarion, as Caesar’s true heir in defiance of Octavian’s claim. Antony entered a scandalous affair with Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. But Octavian and Antony turned from allies to adversaries. Antony pursued Caesar’s assassins to Greece, defeating them at Philippi in 42 B.C.įrom Greece, Antony ruled Rome’s wealthy eastern provinces. Together they eliminated political opponents. After Caesar was assassinated, Octavian forged an alliance with Mark Antony, famed general under Caesar, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Octavian was only 18 years old when his great-uncle Julius Caesar named him heir. His rise to power, however, was anything but peaceful. 14) is best known for initiating the Pax Romana, a largely peaceful period of two centuries in which Rome imposed order on a world long convulsed by conflict. As Rome’s first emperor, Octavian (Augustus Caesar) (63 B.C.–A.D.
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