ipl-logo

The Res Gestae Of Augustus

827 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Caesar and his political relationships

The Res Gestae of Augustus is hardly what we would regard as a politician’s typical autobiography. Discuss how it is different: what does the emperor include, emphasize, and omit. What can we learn about his personality from this formal document?

The Res Gestae or The Deeds of the Divine Augustus is an account of the life of the first Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus. The biography, preserved on two bronze pillars in the city of Rome, was commissioned by the emperor himself. It constitutes a rare first hand account of the life of a roman Princeps. The autobiography is a source of valuable insights into life in the Augustan period, it represents the ‘official’ view of the life of Augustus, and of the era he presided over. In this essay I will …show more content…

The title is a good indication of the tone that is adopted throughout the text, the use of the word Divine at the very start of work, indicates that this is an account of the life of a divine individual, perhaps of a god incarnate. This clear association between Augustus and the “Divine” suggests from the start that this text is going to be an overwhelmingly positive account of the life of the emperor. After all a “Divine” individual, is hardly a flawed one. The text in its entirety does not include a single criticism of Octavian. The text consistently emphasizes certain traits of the emperor, in particular fairness, mercy, and a deep respect for traditional values. The text makes a concerted effort, at showing Augustus to be a restorer and upholder of the traditional republic, rather than a reformer or destroyer. His deep respect for the Senate is especially emphasized. The names of the Consuls, who were his “colleagues”, are included in almost all of the main events of Augustus’s life, and the emperor explicitly states that although he had more “influence” than any other Roman, he had no “greater power”, than each of his colleagues, in each magistracy. By portraying himself as a loyal servant of the Senate and people, Augustus hides the true extent of his power. The fiction of equal “power” but outsized “influence”, allows Augustus to ‘restore’ the Republic and rule over it at the same

Show More
Related
149 Words | 1 Pages

”National Geographic,www.nationalgeographic.com/. Syme,Ronald. The Roman Revolution. TheClarendonPress,1939. “WelcometoPrimaryFacts.”Primary

Read More
623 Words | 3 Pages

Cliques formed and vied for the emperor’s attentions; Flattery was common, and many courtiers were frequently ridiculed outside of the court for their shameless attempts at the emperor’s good graces. The only thing that discredits the author’s argument is that his attempt to fully describe the court is based largely on anecdotal evidence. Unable to accurately detail the complexities of the Roman court and the extent of its power with appropriate evidence, the author makes generalizations based on courts of other kingdoms and empires in order to create an otherwise plausible conceptualization of the magnitude of the Roman

Read More
467 Words | 2 Pages

Suetonius wrote about the life of Cesar Augustus, the emperor of Rome. Suetonius tried to justify his dictatorship to the people of Rome, so that future generations would have no contradictory ideas towards the government. In this way, Rome would maintain peace, and people would follow and take as an example the government of Cesar Augustus as the best of all. The solution of Suetonius was to give a good image to the readers with the actions and facts that the emperor did at that time, “Found it on brick, but left it on marble” (Suetonius,115). Suetonius made the emperor look like a perfect person, who governed rigidly but obtained an efficient and honest administration.

Read More
718 Words | 3 Pages

The vast expanse of the empire led to virtual autonomy on the part of generals and governors; autonomy that was often abused as Cicero’s prosecution demonstrates. Even a conscientious governor like Cicero had to deal with “endemic, chronic, low-level

Read More
1270 Words | 6 Pages

His bravery and confidence along with his promises have grabbed the attention of the Senate so much that they in fact decided to give him special roles and even nicknamed him to show his superior power. These acknowledgments and acts by Augustus show how he was praised by the community and government of Rome as a great leader and

Read More
1024 Words | 5 Pages

In this essay, I'll delve into the life and reign of Emperor

Read More
461 Words | 2 Pages

Augustus which was the name of a man that was strong and selfless and created a way of life without a dictating idiot like most colonies of rulers. He had change the way of life in Rome. This is his very own story Augustus was a very successful man. “He created a city police.

Read More
1637 Words | 7 Pages

Augustus’ roman temple inscription exemplifies his modesty in that his titles didn't boast his power and greatness. Nero Cassius, on the other hand was very boastful putting himself on a coin which stated his real name, “Nero Clavd (ivs)” and also in scripted Caesar Augustus showing their connection. The coin also states Ger (manicvs) Caesar” , the adopted father of Nero. Nero being related to Augustus Caesar brought no doubt in the citizen’s eyes that he will be a strong ruler.

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

But, other documents such as the one written by Seutonius, claim that Augusta was humble. According to the document written by Sentonius, states, ' Octvian always shrank from the title of "lord". To summarize, Augustus was the kind of leader to have a positive image but have some bad images in

Read More
1631 Words | 7 Pages

In her chapter on the historiography of Roman exemplarity, Christina Shuttleworth Kraus examines this loss of power through the transition of exempla as the res gestae populi Romani to the res gestae divi Augusti (Kraus, 2). In early Roman history, exemplarity rested in the hands of popular consciousness; the citizens of Rome had the sole power of deciding which events or people to raise up to the status of exempla. This system of exemplarity that is explained in detail by Matthew Roller’s four stage model of the creation of exempla by public discourse (Roller, 216-217). However, Roller’s framework begins to collapse when Augustus intentionally influences exemplary power through his coercive Res Gestae. Rather than looking to the past for the great deeds of common people like the Sabine women or Lucretia, Roman citizens of the Augustan period had their attention directed towards the persona of one man, an exemplar in the form of an emperor.

Read More
752 Words | 4 Pages

He was also a kind and good leader. Augustus didn’t let anyone call him a “Sire” even by accident. He also left and entered towns at night, so no one felt that they needed to give him special treatment. He also comforts his subjects when they are having problems. This document is reliable as he was born around the time of Octavian, just the generation after him.

Read More
1187 Words | 5 Pages

Maximinus I. The organization of these four chapters emphasizes the structural conformity of the treated emperors, less in the similarity of their policies than in the comparability of the political problems of the time. To Gibbon it was clear that, despite apparent differences, the Roman policy of that era was fraught with the Romans

Read More
1512 Words | 7 Pages

It seems that the fall of the Roman Republic was not a singular event that occurred instantaneously, but rather a long process that saw the increasing use of methods outside of Republican institutions to settle conflicts between members of the aristocracy over political power. Even as the Roman government transitioned form Kingdom to Republic and then to Empire, the competition between aristocratic families remained a relative constant in across the centuries. So too has the desire to mythologize the past. The romans attributed both the fall of the Kingdom of Rome and the fall of the Roman Republic to moral rot, while a more reasonable assessment might place the blame on a dissatisfied and competitive elite class and an inefficient and unresponsive governmental system that was unwilling or unable to address their concerns. In much the same way, modern observers of the Roman Republic have tended to mythologize the fall of the Republic in the service of creating a moral narrative about the unconscionable tyranny of Cesar and the righteousness of the Senate, or whatever alternative narrative is befitting of the historical moment and audience.

Read More
749 Words | 3 Pages

The Roman’s quintessential citizen included a forbidding and robust attitude along with powerful physical attributes. Marcus Cato was the ideal Roman man during the times of the Republic because of his prominent presence and masculine mindset. The men of Rome were expected to follow his example and have the heart of a warrior. In Marcus Cato, Plutarch said that Cato “thought it more honorable to conquer those who possessed the gold, than to possess the gold itself. ”1

Read More
757 Words | 4 Pages

Augustus had made many important reforms in his rule, by having to control everything in Rome and making the senators work for him to build and do the thing for him. The senates were an advisory body whose advice becomes law via the consuls, praetors, and by confirmation by the assemblies of the citizens in Rome. Augustus had mad the laws so strongly that if women or a man do anything behind his back, he willpower send them to a different region, and get them killed by putting them with the animals to die. When Augustus made the laws across he directly made his plans to the people to present his Tribunician

Read More

More about The Res Gestae Of Augustus

Related Topics

Open Document