Augustus' Reign

Question 1

What is the Principate?

Answer 1

the government of one man.
the power of elections and the Senate is diminished but they still exist.

Question 2

Name three powers given to Augustus throughout his rise to power.

Answer 2

held the consulship aged 18.
he commanded armies before holding office.
has suspended elections.

Question 3

What did holding extraordinary powers that went against political tradition do to Augustus’ image?

Answer 3

may have led to the belief that he was a tyrant.

Question 4

What was Augustus elected as in 28 BCE?

Answer 4

Princeps Senatus

Question 5

What is the Princeps Senatus? What does it allow one to do?

Answer 5

first member of the Senate.
allowed him to summon and dismiss the Senate and set its agenda.

Question 6

What powers did Augustus relinquish? What did this signal?

Answer 6

all unconstitutional triumvir powers.
it signalled an end to the crisis period of the civil wars.
it signalled that he wouldn’t hold absolute power, unlike Caesar.

Question 7

Which powers did the Senate grant Augustus after the end of the period of unrest?

Answer 7

the civic crown.
control of Spain, Gaul, Egypt and Syria.
referring to him as Princeps.
the Clipeius Virtutis.
the new title of Augustus.

Question 8

What is the civic crown?

Answer 8

the second highest military honour given to an individual who had saved the lives of other citizens.

Question 9

What power did Augustus gain by having control over Egypt, Syria, Gaul and Spain?

Answer 9

control of the grain supply.

Question 10

What was the Clipeius Virtutis engraved with?

Answer 10

his four cardinal values.

Question 11

What were Augustus’ 4 cardinal values?

Answer 11

virtus
clementia
iustitia
pietas

Question 12

What does the title of Augustus mean?

Answer 12

to increase/enrich/praise.
has associations with Lares and augury.

Question 13

How did Augustus’ role as a religious leader affect his image?

Answer 13

it made him more appealing to the conservatives who had blamed recent troubles on a decline in morals and neglect of the gods.

Question 14

Which priesthoods did Augustus revive?

Answer 14

Arval Brethren
Flamen Dialis

Question 15

How many temples did Augustus oversee the restoration of? When did this start?

Answer 15

82
28 BCE

Question 16

How many new temples did Augustus build?

Answer 16

5

Question 17

How did Pax Augusta/Romana help protect Augustus from assassination/overthrow?

Answer 17

anyone who challenged Augustus was also seen as challenging the peace of the Roman world.

Question 18

When was Rome defeated by the Parthian Empire?

Answer 18

53 BCE

Question 19

Describe Rome’s defeat by the Parthian Empire.

Answer 19

Crassus led an expedition into Seleucia, hoping to conquer the city.
his poor leadership led 50,000 Roman soldiers into an ambush.
40,000 soldiers died and legionary standards were stolen.
this depleted moral within Rome.

Question 20

Who did Augustus send to negotiate the return of the standards? What did this achieve?

Answer 20

Tiberius.
this established friendly relations with the Parthians.

Question 21

Why was Caesar no longer an ideal figure for Augustus to associate himself with?

Answer 21

Caesar seized power which made him a disliked figure in the Senate.

Question 22

How did Augustus shift his propaganda to disassociate himself with Caesar slightly?

Answer 22

he shifted the focus of his propaganda from Caesar the god to Caesar the man, not rejecting the memory of Caesar just shifting it slightly.

Question 23

Why was the increase in adultery in Rome a concern?

Answer 23

because the paternity of a child was unclear.
chaste women were believed to have a special potency in religious ceremonies.

Question 24

How did Augustus inspire people to change their ways when the moral standards in Rome were declining?

Answer 24

he encouraged them to look up to him as a father figure.

Question 25

What is the Leges Iuliae? When was it passed?

Answer 25

encouraged marriage and childbearing and made adultery a crime.
18-17 BCE.

Question 26

Why was Julia the Elder exiled? When was this?

Answer 26

she was accused of adultery in 2 BCE.

Question 27

Why was Julia the Younger exiled?

Answer 27

adulterous behaviour.
some said it was because she was involved in Pallas’ revolt against Augustus.

Question 28

When were the Roman standards retrieved?

Answer 28

20 BCE.

Question 29

Which god was Romulus’ temple dedicated to?

Answer 29

Janus Quirinus.

Question 30

Who did Julia the Elder marry?

Answer 30

Marcus Agrippa

Question 31

Who did Augustus adopt in 17 BCE?

Answer 31

Julia the Elder’s sons, Gaius and Lucius.

Question 32

Why did Augustus adopt Gaius and Lucius?

Answer 32

they were directly related to him.
Agrippa had a reputation for military excellence.
he wanted them to take over after his death to avoid a power-vacuum, such as the one seen after Caesar’s death.

Question 33

Name Augustus’ sons apart from Gaius and Lucius.

Answer 33

Tiberius
Drusus
Agrippa Postumus
Marcellus

Question 34

How was Agrippa’s overhauling of Rome’s water supply good for Augustus’ image?

Answer 34

it didn’t take away from the fact that it was Augustus’ building project.
didn’t detract from the idea that Augustus was a benefactor.
Augustus was able to show other nobleman how they could win fame for themselves, preventing resentment from the upper classes.

Question 35

What did the moving of the pomerium signify?

Answer 35

an increase to the grandeur of the city.