Res Gestae Divi Augustus or as translated as the deeds of the divine Augustus gives an account of Caesar Augustus’ lifetime accomplishment. Augustus was the first emperor in the Roman Empire. According to the available literature, the account was intended to be a funerary inscription; however, the treatise was disseminated across the Roman Empire after his death. It is claimed that the writer of the treatise was the emperor himself. With that hind sight, the writing is a record of self-glorification. Hence, the Res Gestae offers an overwhelming positive presentation of the achievement of the emperor. The writer of Res Gestae reports on the increasing power bestowed on Augustus by the Roman senate and the people. Nevertheless, the Res Gestae seeks to give the impression that the power was given rather than being sought and only accepted reluctantly, however, other accounts seem to disagree. For instance, in the first paragraph, it is …show more content…
The historian seems to accept that Augustus was the right man to manage the Roman Empire at the time. The historian also emphasizes the importance of the absolute power that Augustus welded in the empire. In contrast, the Res Getae only highlights his achievement but deliberately down playing the absolute power that Augustus wielded. Augustus was viewed by many as a great Roman leader. He was very intelligent, knew how to control his subjects, and he was highly respected. He was a smart military man but what was significant in his traits was his recognition of soldiers. He treated them with profound respect and they reciprocated by fighting his battles and being royal to their leader (Spielvogel 167). His intelligence was demonstrated in the decisions that he made whether regarding the military reasoning or when handling political issues across the board, he made the right