Augustus Ceasar of Rome

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Augustus Caesar of Rome (Julius Caesar Research Project)

“I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.” ~ Augustus Caesar

Early Life

Augustus was born on the 23rd of September in 63 B.C.E as Gaius Octavius Thurinus 20 miles away from Rome in Velletri, to Atai, Caesar’s niece, and Gaius Octavius. He went by Octavius from his birth in 63 B.C until his adoption in 44 B.C, which then he took up the name of Octavian, and finally in 26 B.C, he went by the name of Augustus, which was conferred onto him by the Roman Senate. The man donned the toga at 16 years of age, and took on responsibilities through the families connections. He went to Hispania (now known as Spain) in 47 B.C to fight alongside his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, but had gotten shipwrecked along the way to him, so he had to go crawl through the enemy territory to reach him. This act impressed Caesar so much, that he decided to name Octavius as his heir and successor in the emperor’s will.

"Augustus." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 7 May 2014. .

Rise to Power

When Augustus had returned to Italy at age 18, he learned through Caesar’s will that he was adopted as Caesar’s son and that he was now his chief personal heir.

He went against his families (mainly his stepfather’s) and others advices, and decided to take up his inheritance, and went to back to Rome to claim his position.

Mark Antony, Caesar’s former chief lieutenant, took control of the heir’s papers and all of his assets, as he believed that he (Antony) would be the heir to the former ruler, but when learning that he was not, the general took the funds given to Augustus from...

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...d to his friends that had stayed alongside him through his rise to power, added in the quote “Have I played the part well? Then applaud me as I exit.”. After acknowledging human frailty, Rome's senate officially declared the departed emperor, much like the previous emperor before him, Julius Casear, to be a god.

Works Cited

"Augustus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 13 May. 2014

.

Fagan, Garrett G. "Augustus (31 B.C.-14 A.D.)." De Imperatoribus Romanis. Pennsylvania State University, 5 July 2004. Web. 13 May 2014. .

History.com Staff. "Augustus." History.com. A+E Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2014. .

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