Augustus 31 BCE-14 CE Flashcards
What did the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE mark the end of?
The civil war between Mark Antony and Octavian
Who supported Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE?
Cleopatra and the forces of Egypt and the eastern Roman Empire
Who supported Octavian at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE?
Marcus Agrippa and the western Roman Empire
What was the outcome of the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE?
Antony and Cleopatra fled and later committed suicide
How long had Rome been unstable before the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE?
Almost 100 years
How did Octavian utilise his victory at Actium?
Propaganda
What message did Octavian spread about his victory at Actium?
That it marked the beginning of peace and stability for the Roman world
How did Octavian spread his message about Actium marking the beginning of peace?
He founded Nikopolis (‘Victory City’) near the battle site, dedicated 10 ships at a nearby temple of Apollo, and through literature
How did the contemporary poets portray the Battle of Actium?
As the defeat of the foreign Cleopatra by the leader of the Roman Senate and People Octavian
What did the success of Octavian’s Actium propaganda mean?
He faced relatively little opposition throughout his reign and remained very popular
What was Octavian awarded when he returned to Rome in 29 BCE?
The Triple Triumph
What victories did Octavian’s Triple Triumph celebrate?
Actium, Alexandria and Dalmatia
What image of Octavian did his Triple Triumph reinforce?
That he was Rome’s supreme military authority
What was built to commemorate Octavian’s Triple Triumph?
The triumphal arch
How did Augustus commemorate his military successes throughout his reign?
On coins
What happened to Octavian’s militaristic presentation over time and why?
It lessened because Augustus wanted to distance himself from his violent younger self
What campaigns established the Pax Augusta?
The capture of Egypt and Annexation of Armenia
What is Augustus’ proudest military achievement?
That the doors of the Temple of Janus Quirinus were closed 3 times during his reign but only twice before
What did closing the doors of the Temple of Janus Quirinus symbolise?
Peace throughout the empire
What did Augustus claim his birth marked?
A new age of peace
What was the Ara Pacis Augustae?
The Altar of Augustan Peace
Who proposed the construction of the Ara Pacis in 13 BCE?
The Senate
Why did Augustus promote the idea of an Augustan Peace?
To justify all his other actions because he brought order and stability
Why did Augustus need to distance himself from his military image?
Because it was an unwelcome reminder of the civil wars
What did Augustus need his new image to show?
That his power was constitutionally sanctioned
Why did Augustus need a formal allocation of power by the Senate?
The Romans hated powerful individuals but needed strong leadership
How did Augustus present the First Constitutional of 27 BCE?
That he was reluctantly shouldering the burden at the request of the Senate and People
What did the First Constitutional Settlement of 27 BCE actually entail?
An allocation of honours that acknowledged Augustus’ supremacy
What does the title Augustus mean?
Revered (admired) one
What was auctoritas?
The ability of a person to affect socio-political happenings without official power
What honours did Augustus receive in the First Constitutional Settlement of 27 BCE?
The title Augustus, the Civic Crown, the Shield of Virtue, laurels on his doorpost, and recognition of his auctoritas
What real power did the First Constitutional Settlement of 27 BCE give Augustus?
Redistribution of the provinces
How did Augustus redistribute the provinces in 27 BCE?
He controlled the key provinces with military presence and gave the rest back to the Senate
How did Augustus justify his redistribution of the provinces?
He said that his areas still needed pacification and he wanted to reduce the Senate’s workload
What did Augustus have that meant he was essentially in supreme command after the First Constitutional Settlement?
The consulship and control over public funds and the army
How did Augustus make the First Constitutional Settlement of 27 BCE seem more republican?
He was only granted the authority for 10 years
What were the problems with the First Constitutional Settlement?
Augustus was damaging his relationship with the senators by monopolising one of the consulships and he couldn’t leave honours and titles on to a successor
What were the powers given to Augustus in the Second Constitutional Settlement of 23 BCE?
Maius imperium and tribunician power
What was maius imperium?
Power greater than that of a proconsul that did not have to be given up upon return to Rome
Why did Augustus need maius imperium?
He gave up the consulship but still wanted command of the army
What was tribunician power?
The ability to pass or veto legislation and to call the Senate
Who traditionally held tribunician power?
The 10 annually elected tribunes who protected the interests of the people
Can we say for definite if Augustus restored the republic or not?
Not really, it all depends on the interpretation of the evidence
Why was the idea of restoration fundamental to Augustus’ regime?
If people believed Rome had suffered because of corruption, he could portray himself as its saviour
What was Augustus’ approach towards moral and social purity?
He punished it harshly
What did Augustus do to promote legitimate offspring in Rome’s upper classes?
He passed the Julian Laws on the duties of husbands and on constraining adultery in 18 BCE
Which groups of people were the Julian Laws of 18 BCE unpopular with?
The senatorial and equestrian classes
What did the Julian Laws of 18 BCE promote?
Augustus’ desire to to promote his idea of traditional family values
What did Augustus revive that hadn’t been done for 42 years?
Carried out a census of the Roman people
How many censuses did Augustus carry out and how did the results change?
3, each with a corresponding increase in population
What did the censuses carried out by Augustus show?
Rome was thriving
How did Augustus rewrite tradition to fit his endeavours?
He destroyed 2000 volumes of prophetic verse and edited the Sibylline Books
What other aspects of Augustus’ reign aided his image of revival?
His building programme and his approach to religion
How did Augustus use religion to secure his position?
He emphasised the idea that he had divine support
How many priesthoods did Augustus hold at once and how many of these did he commemorate on a coin?
7 and 4
What would the Roman people have easily attributed their past problems to?
Abandonment to the gods
What were the Roman people convinced the emergence of a golden age was due to?
Reconciliation with the gods brought about by Augustus
What did Augustus do to reinforce the idea that he was reviving religion in Rome?
He restored neglected temples
How did the eastern provinces wish to honour their emperor?
By worshiping him as a living god
Why could the imperial cult only be allowed in the east?
Because worship of a living individual was dangerous in Rome and the west
What did a city in Asia Minor successfully petition Octavian for in 29 BCE?
To build a temple to him and Rome
What did Augustus allow the Romans to worship?
His genius and numen
What was a numen?
The divine aspect of a person
What was a genius?
A person’s spirit
Why did Augustus encourage the worship of his genius and numen?
So he could accrue the benefits of worship without the danger of claiming to be more than human
How did Augustus organise Rome?
He divided it into 14 districts each overseen by a magistrate
What did adding new territory to the empire allow Augustus to do?
Extend the pomerium (Rome’s sacred boundary)
How did Augustus deal with fires in Rome?
He established a fire brigade and regulations to prevent fires
How many times did Augustus revise the senatorial roll?
3
How many senators were there by the start of Augustus’ reign?
1000
Why did Augustus revise the senatorial roll?
700 sided with him at Actium meaning 300 sided with Mark Antony
How did Augustus revise the senatorial roll?
He increased the property requirement from 400,000 sesterces to 1 million and made senatorial status hereditary
How many senators remained in 18 BCE?
600
What administrative changes did Augustus make to appease the Senate?
He banned publication of Senate proceedings, created new offices and the Prefect of the City, and added two more praetor positions
What were the new offices created by Augustus responsible for?
The upkeep of public buildings, roads and aqueducts, and for grain distribution
Who could serve as Prefect of the City?
Leading senators
What was the Prefect of the City responsible for?
The day-to-day administration of Rome
How did Augustus change administration of the wider empire?
He allowed anyone to appeal directly to the head of state and exercised his personal authority extensively
What was the purpose of Augustus’ building programme?
To create a Rome that was architecturally worthy of being the capital of the Empire
What was Augustus’ building programme centred around?
The Augustan Forum and its Temple of Mars Ultor
How was Augustus’ building programme in keeping with his image of revival
He restored earlier buildings without putting his name on them
What project overseen by Marcus Agrippa had been started in 33 BCE?
The construction of and improvements to public aqueducts
Why is there little mention of the Roman plebs in the sources?
They’re all written by aristocrats
What did Augustus understand about the importance of the plebs?
That he needed their support
How did Augustus secure the loyalty of the plebs?
Entertainment and gifts
Why did the plebs riot in 22 BCE?
There was a corn shortage
What did the plebs demand be done about the corn shortage in 22 BCE?
Augustus be appointed dictator to sort it
What was suspicious about the corn shortage in 22 BCE?
It was the first year Augustus wasn’t consul and he solved the crisis so quickly it is thought he had engineered it
What did Augustus do after further corn shortages in 6/7 CE?
Set up a formal management system
What changes were made to the equestrian class?
They were promoted to political significance by the creation equestrian-only roles
What was the most important equestrian-only role Augustus created?
The governor of Egypt
What did Augustus’ rise to power mean for the Roman senators?
They were no longer needed for decision making and acted as little more than a rubber-stamp
Why did Augustus need to placate the Senate?
To preserve his republican image
How did Augustus placate the Senate?
He gave money to individual senators, expanded the lower ranks of the cursus honorum to allow more senators to gain experience, and his culls may have made it feel more exclusive
What did Augustus do that made it clear the Senate were no longer the leading political body?
He banned them from Egypt, established a privy council, and imposed a 5% inheritance tax to fund the military treasury
What do we know about conspiracies and threats to Augustus’ reign?
There were some, but most of the sources say different things and we think some were made up by Augustus as an excuse to remove people
Why was creating a dynasty such a challenge for Augustus?
Romans hated power in the hands of one person
Who was Augustus’ first choice for his successor?
His nephew Marcellus
How did Augustus indicate Marcellus as his successor?
He married Marcellus to Julia and accelerated his career
Why was Marcellus not Augustus’ successor?
He died suddenly in 23 BCE
Who was Augustus’ second choice for his successor?
His closest ally Marcus Agrippa
How did Augustus indicate Agrippa as his successor?
He married Agrippa to Julia and gave him tribunician power
Why was Agrippa not Augustus’ successor?
He died in 12 BCE
Who were Augustus’ third and fourth choice for successors?
His grandsons Gaius and Lucius Caesar
How did Augustus indicate Gaius and Lucius as his successors?
He adopted them and the Senate named them princeps iuventutis and made them consul designates at the age of 15
Why were Gaius and Lucius not Augustus’ successors?
They died in 4 and 2 CE respectively
What did Tiberius do when Gaius and Lucius were made Augustus successors?
Left Rome and sulked
Who was Augustus’ last choice for his successor?
His stepson Tiberius
How did Augustus indicate Tiberius as his successor?
He married Tiberius to Julia and gave him Tribunician power
What did Augustus make Tiberius do when he adopted him and why?
Adopt Germanicus to create an ongoing line of succession
What happened to Julia in 2 BCE?
She was exiled for adultery
