Brunt's Res Gestae Divi Augusti

Res Gestae Divi Augusti was an autobiographical inscription that detailed the achievements and life of Augustus. It was completed near his demise during the beginning of the first century CE. The autobiography indicates how much Augustus thought about the Roman Empire. He made a detailed record of the completion of his various duties and how he was granted honors by the Senate. He also went forth to stress out that the new position he had received had made him an equal to the other magistrates. At the end of his autobiography, he writes how he had traded his official triumvir job for the lesser status, primus inter pares. The essay will seek to bring out the argument that Augustus had the best interest of the Empire in his plans.

As the epitaph,

His analysis of the power commodity that is only derived from the people and the senate is one of the common themes in his text. Brunt states that Augustus shies away from acknowledging the power that he does not possess outside his triumvirate responsibilities (53). He believes that his actions are by order or authority of the people and senate. His actions are one of the fundamentals of the modern day democracies. Democracy requires people to relinquish power after their term has ended. It also depicts respect for the rule of law. Hence, Augustus had great ideas for the future of the empire.

Augustus goes ahead also to describe the gifts that he had received from the Senate. He used the gifts to highlight the top standards he had maintained during his tenure at the triumvate. Brunt explains that the gifts were also presented for the high moral character he had shown when he refused to extend his rule (40). The gifts were held in high regard as military and civilian honors. In most dictatorships of the modern day, the leaders show immoral character by extending their tenures in office despite the fact that a majority of them are very

The award, Clupes Aureus, was similar to the wreaths. The wreaths were only given to a soldier who had saved another's life during the battle. Hence, his role as a military savior is shown. Brunt explains that Augustus also went ahead to link his power to that of his father and displayed it in the public positions as some gift to his city (56). During his era in leadership, he made the claim to some virtues: Piety, courage, clemency, and justice. Those are some of the words he used to describe his type of leadership. He wanted the virtues to be associated with his reign, exercise of power, and validation of his accumulation. The virtues that Augustus showed are a symbol of the thought he had towards the