Res Gestae Divi Augusti

Augustus was the founder of the Roman empire as well as the first emperor of Rome. His legacy on the Roman empire allowed it to become as large and powerful as it eventually became at its peak. Augustus was a particularly powerful leader because he was skilled at advertising his achievements for the Roman people to see. The pieces Augustus commissioned were like the modern day billboards, set up for all to see. Before his death, Augustus wrote down all of his accomplishments and had them inscribed across the Roman empire. This text, entitled “Res Gestae Divi Augusti”, included all of Augustus’ political honors, military conquests and public benefactions that he had during his life. This text served as propaganda for both the Roman empire and Augustus himself. A large chunk of…

The Res Gestae Divi Augusti, which in English means ‘The Achievements of the Deified Augustus,’ was written by the first Roman emperor Augustus as a biographical account of his life just before his death in 14 CE. Because the document was written in first person, it lent Augustus the ability to portray himself and his rule precisely the way he wished it to be remembered. The original text was displayed on two bronze tablets set in front of the mausoleum of Augustus in Rome, though multiple other…

For this paper, I will be discussing Res Gestae Divi Augusti or The Deeds of the Divine Augustus. Res Gestae is the monumental inscription of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. It describes the deeds of Augustus, such as him subjecting the whole Earth to the rule of the Roman people and the money for which he spent for the state and the people of Rome. Res Gestae was written 14 A.D, the time of Augustus death. The main purpose of this inscription is to inform the people of Rome about the…

The purpose of this research is to identify some events that caused such instability within the Roman Republic and reasons that led to the demise of the dominant Roman Empire. Was Julius Caesar singlehandedly at fault for the transformation of the Republic? Maybe it was the Senate, the citizens of Rome, or could it have been something completely different? What army was responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire? Could a dose of political corruptness have also been a reason for the fall? There…

The history of the Roman Empire spans several centuries, starting with the disintegration of the Roman Republic, as a result of civil wars, until 476 AD, the year of the last emperor of Rome (Gibbon 1829). The Roman Republic (res publica meaning "public affairs") is the conventional term used to define the Roman state and its provinces since the end of the Kingdom of Rome in 509 BC. The Republic lasted until the establishment of the Roman Empire in 27 BC. The Empire was a consequence of the…

“On my own initiative and at my own expense I raised an army, with which I restored freedom to the state which was oppressed by the power of a clique… In the same year, when both consuls had fallen in battle, the People named me consul and appointed me one of a commission of three (triumvir) for the re-establishment of the republic” Augustus emphasis of how his ‘own’ actions liberate Rome from oppression and gain him support from the people, shows his desire to attribute his rise to power with…

Augustus always made sure to refuse all power and authority that the Senate wish him to have, and would only accept such power reluctantly when necessary. ‘The dictatorship which was offered me by the People and by the Senate, both when I was present and when I was absent, I did not accept. The annual and perpetual consulship I did not accept.’ (Res Gestae Divi Augusti, 1996) One of the greatest achievements of Augustus is that he made the Senate feel as though the republic was still…

Augustus’s own journal, the Res Gestae Divi Augusti offers evidence as to what his motives were, stating that he had “Egypt I added to the empire of the Roman people in the case of Greater Armenia, though I might have made it a province after the assassination of its King Artaxes” (Harrer, 1926). Augustus expanded his empire by adding Egypt and would go on to add several neighboring countries and civilizations such as Spain, Germany, and Gaul. He himself quotes, “... I extended the borders of…

Rome to establish three new provinces in Armenia, Assyria, and Mesopotamia. Emperors sometimes displayed their strength in different ways; however, they knew that military strength alone was not enough to maintain control of Rome. Control was found in unity. The Roman citizens put their trust in the Senate and its influence as a Roman tradition resonated with the masses. Romans held a deep respect for all that the Republic had accomplished, and the Senate was the heart of the Republic. In order…