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Augustus (The Battle of Actium ((The Battle of Actium on 2 September 31BC…
Augustus
The Battle of Actium
The Battle of Actium on 2 September 31BC ended the civil war between the two last great rivals in Rome – Mark Antony – the former genral of Julius Caesar – and Octavian
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Octavian commanded the forces of the western Roman Empire – aided by admiral Marcus Agrippa – Mark Antony allied with Cleopatra
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He founded a new town near the battle site, Nikopolis, where a monument was set up overlooking the sea
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This was the ‘official’ presentation of Actium, which sought to portray Octavian as leader of the Roman Senate and people
The propaganda success of this presentation may explain why Augustus faced relatively few significant moments of opposition and remained generally popular
Velleius Paterculus notes he was greeted in Rome by ‘huge crowds and universal acclaim’ when he returned from Actium and the subsequent campaigns in Egypt and Dalmatia. Actium was hugely significant as the keystone of Augustus public image
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The Importance of Livia
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She is renowned for her beauty, dignity and intelligence.
Seneca records a conspiracy against Augustus and how he acted on the advice of Livia and treated the plotter Cinna with mercy.
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Agrippa, Tiberius and Germanicus
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Augustus was supposedly comforted by the fact Tiberius would take over all aspects of the Principate.
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After the death of Julia’s husband Marcellus in 23BC, Augustus married Julia to his closest ally Agrippa.
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The coin showed the two men looking almost identical and indicated that Agrippa was the preferred succession if Augustus was to die.
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Julia was Augustus’ daughter – she was exiled for adultery and died from starvation in 14 AD after her father’s death.
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Augustus’ attitude towards religion, including
the Imperial Cult inside and outside Rome
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Contemporary literature emphasised the restoration of Roman religion and the divine support for Augustus
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4 are commemorated on a denarius which predates Augustus’ election to the position of Pontifex Maximus
A golden age was easily seen as reconciliation brought about by the emperor Augustus restored 82 shrines
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Augustus was respectful to long-established religions, but considered the worship of a living individual as dangerous
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The people of Pergamum in Asia Minor successfully petitioned Octavian to build a temple to him in Rome in 29
Romans believed all had a divine aspect called the Numen – the divinity of a person – and worship was permitted of the numen of Augustus as well as his genius – the spirit of a person or place
Augustus could claim the benefits of worship without being accused of claiming to be more than human
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relations with the Senate, Equestrians and ordinary people of Rome
Augustus understood that Rome was the ‘mob’, and that democracy was being replaced by autocracy, so needed to court favour with the Plebs
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Tacitus suggests Augustus “seduced the soldiery with gifts, the people with corn, and everyone else with the delights of peace
22 BC – people rioted when there was a corn shortage – people demanded Augustus be appointed dictator to deal with the crisis – suggests popularity amongst Plebs, though some speculate he engineered shortage by stockpiling grain in order to solve the problem swiftly
Augustus set up a formal management system of the ‘corn doles’ in 6-7 AD, and participated in ‘congiara’; the frequent handouts of money
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Gained most Pleb support through mass public entertainment – Augustus seemed to be messianic figure of Virgil’s Aeneid to the Plebs bringing peace and stability
Augustus made the equestrians a distinct political group creating exclusively equestrian roles, such as governor of Egypt
Most distant relationship with Senate – Senate now became little more than bureaucratic rubber-stamp, thus alienatinf some Senators; however, Tacitus states “How many remained who had seen the Republic?”
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Gave money to individual senators, lower ranks of cursus honorum were expanded so more senators gained political experience, purges of Senate made order more exclusive
Nevertheless, Augustus banned senators from Egypt, created a virtual privy council (the consilium principis) and imposed a 5% inheritance tax on senators in 6 AD
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