IDC ROME: Augustus Comes to Power

Augustus Comes to Power

At the death of Caesar in 44 BC, a young man named Gaius Octavius - the 19 year old great-nephew of Caesar - inherited 2/3 of Caesar's property. Vaulted to extreme wealth, the young man spent the next 17 years trying to gain sole rule of the Roman Empire. In the course of those years, he defeated Caesar's assassins and put an end to the chaotic civil wars that were ravaging the Empire. By 27 BC, he established peace in the Roman Empire - the first seen for several decades. Romans saw him as the most powerful man in Rome and the Senate bestowed on him the title of "Augustus" or "Revered One."

In his own words:

For my service [to the state] I was named Augustus by decree of the Senate…and a golden shield was set up in the Senate House, which, as its inscription attested, was given me by the Senate and people of Rome on account of my courage, clemency, justice, and devotion.

RES GESTAE 34.2




			Augustus Comes to Power At the death of Caesar in 44 BC, a young man named Gaius Octavius - the 19 year old great-nephew of Caesar - inherited 2/3 of Caesar's property. Vaulted to extreme wealth, the young man spent the next 17 years trying to gain sole rule of the Roman Empire. In the course of those years, he defeated Caesar's assassins and put an end to the chaotic civil wars that were ravaging the Empire. By 27 BC, he established peace in the Roman Empire - the first seen for several decades. Romans saw him as the most powerful man in Rome and the Senate bestowed on him the title of "Augustus" or "Revered One." In his own words: For my service [to the state] I was named Augustus by decree of the Senate…and a golden shield was set up in the Senate House, which, as its inscription attested, was given me by the Senate and people of Rome on account of my courage, clemency, justice, and devotion. RES GESTAE 34.2

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