Octavian as sole Flashcards
What are the people’s response to him stepping down?
- For consulship of 22, riots, refusal to elect 2 consuls
How does Augustus compromise with the people?
- Can parade in his dress (19)
- Encourage worship of his “Genius”
- Encourages group called Augustales, who supervise the worship of Augustus AND Rome
- Concilium gathering of representatives of each town to organize
How does he make sure to get heir?
- Wants family pride
- Had Julia with wife who was relative of Sexts Pompey, but he divorced her
- Married another lady Livia for love in 38. Livia had a son with previous husband Tiberius Claudius Nero. Tiberius is the oldest son, but Augustus wanted blood relative
- He makes a deal with Marcellus (Octavia’s son by first husband), who is his nephew. At young age, Marcellus and Julia marry, but Marcellus dies naturally in 23 soon after the Second Settlement
- He tells Agrippa to divorce second wife and marry Julia. They have Gaius (20) and LUcius(17). He gives Agrippa power of tribune. But, both die.
- Eventually, he turns to Tiberius
What’s the transition between him and Tiberius
Smooth. Tiberius’ Regime called the Julio-Claudia Dynasty
How doe Augustus clean up Rome?
Population getting close to 1 million ,and very little repair had been done
- 3 aqueducts
- Finishes Senate house (Curia Julia) that Caesar had begun)
- New forum : Forum o Augustus (near Ceasar’s)
- Big temple of Mars
- Construction
What he does about grain supply
Keeps Caesar’s pattern; probably increased numbe of free recipients
Entertainment
Secular Games (17 BC); only happens every saeculum (century)
Law and Order
Vigiles (3500, watchmen)
Urban cohorts (1500)
Personal body guard - praetorian guard (45000)
Army
- Had been serious problem (recruited men against Jugurtha; capita sense led to private armies and political fights; loyalty)
- Anexed Egypt to settle 60 legions (on both sides - Octavian and Antony).
- Settled 140K vets (not through confiscation)
- Founded colonies in Italy and West
- Reduced army to 28 legions; would recruit non-citizenship troops called auxilia
- 300 K men altogether in army (auxiliaries and normal troops)
What did he do when he made army voluntary?
- 25 years commitment
- Can’t remarried
- If survived and discharged honorably, discharged with bounty payment (13 times annual pay) –> loyalty
- Sets up special treasury for this (AerariumMilitare) - he doesn’t increase pay (he followed Caesar, who doubled pay)
- Increased pay of centurions (regular officers) by 13 times
- Top Centurian gets 50 times basic pay
- Preferred men like Agrippa who wouldn’t be rivals
Who ends up administrating Egypt
Equites do because he does not trust senators (13 BC onwards)
What does Octavian not want to be/do
He doesn’t want be Caesar (dictator, unlike by senators)
Doesn’t want to be a dictator relying on army (army can be persuaded to switch loyalty)
Does the Triumvirate continue?
He continues as the last triumvirate. They never have a second renewal of triumvirate but just assume so (don’t argue with him)
What is the account of Octavian’s life called?
Res Gestae (“things that I have accomplished)
- Not published until after his death
- Set up on stone/bronze to be put up in public places
- One copy survives in Ancient Ancyra
Explain his life as consul?
First arrangement is to become consul (from 31 -23)
- Doesn’t recognize colleague as equal (until 28, when he is consul with Agrippa)
- January of 27 - wants to resign, First Settlement
- He behaves in low-key way (civilities)
- Senate is hopeful that they may get moe power through him.
What is the First settlement?
- January 27 - he wants to resign
- They make a deal. Octavian ill stay consul and will be given big province in Spain, Gaul, Syria, and Egypt (will govern through legates for 10 years)
- *Variant of Sulla in that he stays around so the rivalry doesn’t get out of control
- Republic goes back to normal elections
- New name Augustus
What does “Augustus” mean?
- First Settlement
- Didn’t want to be like Romulus (got killed by his own soldiers)
- Means “revered”, linked to “grow” (auger) and auctoritas
Does 1st Settlement work?
- Moves to right direction
- Only thing is that Augustus continues to be consul (not republic)
What do the senators not like about the set-up?
- Only one person can be consul per year
- Augustus was promoting Marcellus
- Augustus may be stretching auctoritas too far (supposedly told Primus, pro-consul of Macedonia, to make war outside his province). Augustus denies this though.
What made Augustus concerned?
- Assassination plot organized by Murena (Augustus’ fellow consul in 23) and Caepio.
When does the Second Settlement happen?
- Augustus in 23 is ill
- He resigned consulship
Doesn’t give up imperium or province. He has imperium that is made maius (greater imperium, previously there weren’t grades) - Takes the power of a tribune (tribunicia potestas)
- Takes on title of Pater patriae (when offered in 2 BC)
- He is first senator (princeps senatus) but only wants to be considered princeps.
What do we now refer to his rule?
Principate, imperator (emperor, general), but he doesn’t push these
Does he take lifetime powers? What does he take?
- Never takes any power for life (renewed ever 5 or 10 years)
- Lifetime power of Pontifex Maximus (12 BC) after Lepidus dies
How does Augustus change the Senate?
- IN 29, he reviews senatorial membership and cut down membership from 1000 to 800 (Caesar had raised number of quaestors to 40)
- In 18 BC, he cuts from 800 to 600 (20 quaestors a year, like Sulla’s arrangement)
- Creates senatorial class; must be worth 1 million sesterces to be in the senatorial class (must be worth 400K sesterces to be eques)
Who did Augustus eliminate from Senate?
- Those who weren’t moral (kept those who disagreed with him)
- Wanted high-minded, responsible, keen to serve public good ,wealthy
- Didn’t mind if they came from different parts of Italy
How he tweaks the curses honorum
20 quaestors
Must be tribune/aedile on way to consul, then praetor, then consul
- Augustus wanted 2 consuls, but more senators wanted to be consul.
- “Voluntary” letters so that consuls resign and two more suffects replace them
- From 5 BC onwards, 4 men can be consul every year, but not more than 2 at once
How did he change the election process?
- Elections didn’t change, but Augustus would openly support some men for office (i.e. quaestors)
- Realized that it didn’t matter whether those he didn’t like became consul. Now, being magistrate wasn’t a big deal - he could give them whatever assignments he wanted.
Who made up army commands?
provincial governors are senators (conservative)
Who takes care of Aerarium?
Ex-praetors. Aerarium militare (pays retired soldiers) are by ex-praetors. Others look after aqueducts, public buildings (committee of senators) --> expanded range of things senators could do
What were the three reactions of senators to Augustus?
- Don’t bother anymore; don’t want to be senator because they can’t be like a Cicero or Gaius Gracchus
- Go to meetings, don’t say anything because all important things were discussed by Augustus in smaller groups
- Said too much - all flattery
- Attendance went down; instituted fixed days for meetings (excused elderly senators from coming)
Two more developments
Decrees of senate were law (didn’t have to go to citizen assemblies)
- Anything emperor wanted, had to agree to (special business of conducting business of senate in his absence)
Where did elections take place?
In the senate
- No more elections at citizen assemblies
- Everything decided among senators (from 15 AD)
What kind of court did Senate become?
High court; cases of Repetundae and maiestas (treason)
How was the senate dependent on Augustus?
Augustus gave them power; they could be Pontifex if they did well
What did equites do?
Procurator - look after real estate
Represent emperor in court
Chase off rents
money matters linked to emperor and property
- Army officers reserved for them
- Big jobs they didn’t want to appoint to senators (Egypt)
- Praetorian guard (2 BC), equites for guard’s commanders
- Vigiles
