Augustus and the Romans

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Augustus and the Romans
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Edward Gibbon (1737-1794)

• The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman
  Empire
• His three reasons
• The army
• Christianity
• Barbarian invasions

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Replacing Caesar

• Caesars adopted son Octavianus
• Caesars commander Marcus Antonius
• Antony marries Octavians sister

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Egyptian coins portraying Cleopatra VII and Antony
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Octavian defeats Antony

• Battle of Actium, 31 BC
• Antony flees
• Octavian invades Alexandria
• Cleopatra and Antony commit suicide
• Octavian seizes power

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Octavians Rise

• Military prowess
• Relationship to Julius Caesar
• Personal charisma
• Augustus, 27 BC
• Pater Patriae, 2 AD

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Augustus the Politician

• Personal modesty (preferred princeps)
• Patron-client system
• auctoritas
• Julian Laws
• Personal, religious
• Semi-divine status
• deification after his death

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Gemma Augustae (sardonyx cameo) Augustus with
the goddess Roma
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A Big, Augustus-Shaped Hole

• Augustus dies, 14 AD
• Tiberius adopted son, 14-37 AD
• Caligula 37-41 AD
• Claudius 41-54 AD
• Nero 54-68 AD
• Vespasian, Titus, Domitian 69-96 AD
• Five Good Emperors 96-180 AD

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Some questions

• On what basis should Romans choose an emperor?
• On what should this emperor base his power?
• How do we make sure power passes peacefully from
  one person to another?
• Are we still a republic?