Similarities Between Augustus And Suetonius

In 63 BC the first emperor of Rome was born Gaius Octavius, from parents in the equestrian class. Indeed in his early years the most remarkable thing about Octavius was his uncle, Julius Caesar. The first real hints of the leader he would become came in 46 BC, at the age of 17, when he travelled to Hispania to join his uncle during the civil war between Caesar and Pompey (Suetonius 8). Fighting a sustained illness, surviving a shipwreck, and crossing enemy territory on foot, Octavius eventually joined his uncle’s forces and earned his deepest respects. It was after these feats of bravery and loyalty that Julius Caesar adopted Octavius to become his legal son and chief benefactor of his will (Suetonius 7). It should be noted that although …show more content…
While Augustus would rule Rome for the rest of his natural life, both he and Suetonius put forth the claim with evidence that he was, in fact, not a dictator. By his own words, Augustus did turn down dictatorship when offered to him multiple times in 22 BC (Augustus 5). He was not, however, shy of boasting about his immense power within Rome and his use of it (Augustus 5-7). And while “the Senate and Roman people consented that I alone be made curator of the laws and customs with the highest power”, serving with triumvir powers for life, Augustus still maintained himself to simply be the first among equals in the Roman government. While Suetonius goes on at great length about Augustus’ use of power and authority, when speaking about dictatorship he offers an even more succinct version of the story: “When the people did their best to force the dictatorship upon him, he knelt down, threw off his toga from his shoulders and with bare breast begged them not to insist” (Suetonius 52). He would even bristle away from being called terms like Lord, perhaps out of a genuine humble nature or more likely out of fear of being viewed as powerful a singular figure as he truly was (Suetonius 53). His adopted father, Julius Caesar was killed because he was thought to be becoming a dictator in both action and name. These readings on the life of Augustus show us clearly that he himself was able to hold and consolidate power more easily by going out of his way to not take on the public praise or labelling of a dictator. His powers were given to him by manipulating the structure of power as it was, not by creating a new office or title for a new form of ruler. He did not take power from powerful men as much as he superseded it. This is a vital clue as to how Augustus was able to amass and keep his powerbase. Public placation was, to him, its own art of