The Golden Age Of Augustus Research Paper

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Ancient Rome: Age of Augustus
The Age of Augustus is considered to be the golden age of ancient Rome. The founding of early Rome, including its independence from the Etruscans, occurred in the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. The Republic began in 509 BCE and lasted until 27 BCE, when Octavian (born 63 BCE) became the sole ruler of Rome under the name Augustus Caesar. Augustus ruled until his death in 14 AD. During this time, the Mediterranean world lived under the Pax Romana, as Rome expanded its empire and saw a flowing of art, literature, peace, and prosperity (Augustus, 2008; Ancient Rome, 2008).
Augustus Takes Power
From 60-54 BCE, Rome was ruled by the First Triumvirate consisting of Gaius Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Marcus Licinus Crassus. In 49 BCE, Julius Caesar led his army from Gaul into Rome to seize power from Pompey in the Second Roman civil war. Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE, triggering the Third Roman civil war between Caesar’s heirs, Octavian and Marc Antony, and Caesar’s assassins, Cassius and Brutus. From this war emerged the Second Triumvirate of Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus in 43 BCE. By 31 BCE, Octavian had …show more content…

He was a literate and cultured man who encouraged and supported philosophers, writers and artists. Adultery and other forms of immorality were discouraged or banned, and Augustus even exiled his own daughter Julia for improper sexual conduct. The greatest poets of Rome thrived under his patronage. Virgil (70-19 BCE) wrote the Aenid, a history of early Rome that encouraged Roman expansionism. Horace (65-8 BCE) wrote about romantic topics such as love and friendship, promoted wisdom over power, and satirized social ills. Ovid (43 BCE-17 AD) was most noted for his ribald and sensuous love poetry, but ultimately his encouragement of sexual misconduct led Augustus to exile him. Augustan art included statuary, great public buildings, and monuments (Bragg, 2012; Virgil, 2008; Horace, 2008; Ovid,

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