Augustus

1
Augustus

• Following the murder of Julius Caesar, the
  assassins were forced to flee for their lives.

2
The Second Triumvirate

• Caesar's leading supporters, Octavian (Caesar's
  18 year old nephew), Mark Antony, and Marcus
  Lepidus, joined to form a second triumvirate that
  would defeat Brutus and Cassius in Greece in 42
  BCE.

3
The Second Triumvirate

• They divided the Roman world among themselves,
  but they did not share power for long.

4

• Octavian forced Lepidus to retire from politics.

5
Antony was "...carried away by her to
Alexandria, there to keep holiday, like a boy, in
play and diversion, squandering and fooling away
in enjoyment that most costly of all valuables,
time." Plutarch

• Antony fell in love with Cleopatra (queen of
  Egypt). He began to give away parts of Roman
  territory to her.

6
Civil War

• Octavian used the anger of the Romans to wage war
  with Antony's fleet near Actium off the coast of
  Greece in 31 BCE. Antony abandoned his fleet and
  they surrendered.

7

• Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt and committed
  suicide.

8

• Octavian conquered Egypt, and returned to Rome as
  the undisputed ruler of an empire.
• He became the first Emperor (absolute ruler) of
  Rome, and was given the title Augustus, meaning
  the "highest one."

9

• He claimed to be restoring the Republic, but
  everyone knew the senate did whatever he wanted.
• He became known as "Caesar Augustus." Many of the
  later Roman emperors were Octavian's descendants.
  "Caesar" was an important title of later Roman
  emperors.

10

• Under Caesar Augustus began the Pax Romana (200
  years of Roman peace and prosperity).