Their centurions, who had become important figures politically, refused to fight due to their Caesarian cause, while the legions under their command followed suit.

With this title, he boasted his familial link to deified Julius Caesar, and the use of Imperator signified a permanent link to the Roman tradition of victory. [20] Philippus claimed descent from Alexander the Great, and was elected consul in 56 BC. Lucius and his allies ended up in a defensive siege at Perusia (modern Perugia), where Octavian forced them into surrender in early 40 BC.

During this time, however, relations between Octavian and Mark Antony began to deteriorate. He had composed an account of his achievements, the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, to be inscribed in bronze in front of his mausoleum. In 27 BCE Augustus “restored” the republic of Rome, though he himself retained all real power as the princeps, or “first citizen,” of Rome. Roman citizens were protected by the law. Augustus, also called Augustus Caesar or (until 27 bce) Octavian, original name Gaius Octavius, adopted name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, (born September 23, 63 bce—died August 19, 14 ce, Nola, near Naples [Italy]), first Roman emperor, following the republic, which had been finally destroyed by the dictatorship of Julius Caesar, his great-uncle and adoptive father. The east was occupied by Brutus and Cassius, but the triumvirs divided the west among themselves. [219] Copies of the text were inscribed throughout the Empire upon his death. Adultery was common, and the concept of a family did not carry much weight in society, until Augustus. Lepidus was left with the province of Africa, stymied by Antony, who conceded Hispania to Octavian instead. [85] Both Antony and Octavian were vying for an alliance with Pompeius.

[80] There was no more government-controlled land to allot as settlements for their soldiers, so Octavian had to choose one of two options: alienating many Roman citizens by confiscating their land, or alienating many Roman soldiers who could mount a considerable opposition against him in the Roman heartland. [164][204] No specific reason is known for his departure, though it could have been a combination of reasons, including a failing marriage with Julia,[164][204] as well as a sense of envy and exclusion over Augustus's apparent favouring of his young grandchildren-turned-sons Gaius and Lucius.

[260] Among the best known of many surviving portraits are the Augustus of Prima Porta, the image on the Ara Pacis, and the Via Labicana Augustus, which shows him as a priest. Both Tacitus and Cassius Dio wrote that Livia was rumored to have brought about Augustus's death by poisoning fresh figs. 24 Oct 2020. [149], A second problem later arose showing the need for the Second Settlement in what became known as the "Marcus Primus Affair". [248], The month of August (Latin: Augustus) is named after Augustus; until his time it was called Sextilis (named so because it had been the sixth month of the original Roman calendar and the Latin word for six is sex). An enormous funerary procession of mourners traveled with Augustus's body from Nola to Rome, and on the day of his burial all public and private businesses closed for the day. [40] This amounted to 700 million sesterces stored at Brundisium, the staging ground in Italy for military operations in the east.