His Life and Legacy — More Myth than Reality?
Augustus was instrumental in creating the Rome we know today and despite Tacitus’ feelings otherwise, the time has come to regard Augustus for what he was: the great savior of Rome. Despite his arrogance and early displays of bloodlust, Augustus was far from a power-hungry killer and certainly no tyrannical dictator. Although he set a precedent of imperial power, the majority of his later years were spent improving the Rome he so loved. What made Augustus great was his civilitas, civic works, and foresightedness in reforming Rome.
At the age of 19 he was named successor to his adoptive father, Gaius Julius Caesar and raised a great army. This title gave him instant respect by the army and people of Rome. He used this to set about avenging Caesar’s untimely and unwarranted death. While yes, the Second Triumvirate that he formed with Lepidus and Marc Antony did order proscriptions, upon the end of his civil war with Marcus Antonius and his taking of the name Augustus, he proved to be a most clement leader. These proscriptions were ordered while the man who would be known as Augustus was very young and immature, and were a direct response to the traitors who killed his adoptive father, Gaius Julius Caesar. As he aged, these were no longer ordered, and Augustus learned from the error of his earlier ways. Additionally, while he did yield Maius Imperium and therefore held imperium over every other Roman magistrate, he was most proud of his lifetime Tribunica Potestas gained during the 2nd Settlement of 27 AD and held for 37 years.
Augustus also proved to be extremely generous. He, himself wants us to remember the millions of sesterces that he transferred into the treasury, paid his soldiers with, and even used to help the poorest of Romans. His own Res Gestaeis very self-inflating, but if even half of it is true, then he personally carried Rome from the old republic into the future. His enormous generosity kept Rome as the most important city in the world. He used his own funds whenever public revenues were lacking. Augustus poured his own resources into the restoring Rome to its former glory through massive public works that included building three new aqueducts- the first aqueducts constructed in nearly 100 years. Moreover, he ensured the completion of the Curia Julia and oversaw the construction of multiple temples and monuments, the most important being the large temple to Mars created at the new Forum of Augustus. Furthermore, by using his own money to purchase land for the settlement of his veterans he was able to stave off the problems he encountered in 41 and 40 BC while forcefully taking land for veterans. Finally, during this time Augustus established key positions of safety within the city of Rome. The Vigiles, Urban Cohorts, and Praetorian Guard were each instrumental in maintaining safety and law and order for the people of Rome. Augustus clearly had the interests of the Roman people in mind at all times and ensured their comfort and safety within the confines of their vast, metropolitan city.
Creating the title of Principate was a necessary action to handle the vast territories that Rome controlled. As Tacitus outlines, “The Empire’s frontiers were on the ocean, or distant rivers. Armies, provinces, fleets, the whole system was interrelated.” Augustus managed to create a position within the Roman government that allowed him to oversee this vast empire without usurping the control that the regularly elected Consuls and other magistrates had. Indeed, during Augustus’ life, the population of Roman citizens increased by nearly 900,000 citizens. Augustus also presided over one of the only ten year periods of peace in Roman history to that point. Nearly as important were the reforms August made within the army. He solved the problem of military loyalty in 13 BC by turning the Roman Army into a smaller, more professional force. First, he made the army an all-volunteer force that carried a 20–25 year term. Immediately upon discharge each soldier (who survived) would receive a lump sum payout equal to thirteen times their annual pay. Furthermore, these soldiers had to make an oath to Rome and August annually, finally solving the problem of warlords running around Italy with their own private armies loyal only to them and not the state.
The Res Gestae serves as an important reminder of the good deeds that Augustus accomplished throughout his life in service to Rome. It is not complete, as it leaves out many of his mistakes, specifically those prior to taking the name Augustus. But of course, this is how Augustus desires to be remembered. Nonetheless, his early mistakes were the result of youthful indiscretion and immaturity, and that as Octavian matured into Augustus he became the sort of benevolent dictator that Julius Caesar himself would have been proud of.
The civilitas, civic works, and foresightedness in reforming Rome that Augustus displayed shaped the future of the Roman Empire. Augustus managed to use the values of the Roman Republic to thrust Rome into a new era. Despite his arrogance and early displays of bloodlust, nearly every one of Augustus’ actions were geared toward taking care of the people of Rome and thus restoring the Republic to its former glory. While he did set a precedent for single rule followed by familial succession, Augustus spent the majority of his life improving and expanding Rome.
