Octavian: The Road to Power

49 Civil War (Caesar vs. Pompey)
44 Assassination of Caesar on Ides of March by Brutus, Cassius, etc.
     Octavian Caesar's heir & adopted son
43 "Second" Triumvirate appointed (Octavian, Antony, Lepidus)
42 Philippi: Triumvirs defeat Brutus/Cassius
40  Brief thaw: Antony marries Octavia
36 Triumvirs defeat Sextus Pompey
33 Triumvirs' power expires; war looms
31 Actium: Octavian defeats Antony/Cleo.
27 Octavian "restores" Republic

Octavian's Constitutional Position

• Controls army, Praetorian Guard (27 -)
• Consul 13x with others
• Authority of tribune (23 -)
• Consular & censorial authority
• Titles
• Augustus ("he who is revered")
• princeps ("first citizen") -> "principate"
• pater patriae ("father of his country")

29 Gates of War at Temple of Janus closed
20 Diplomatic "victory" over Parthians
     Priesthoods revived (e.g Arval Brethren)
19 Vergil's Aeneid published
18 Moral legislation
17 Secular Games
12 Augustus becomes Pontifex Maximus

Public Works (< esp. M. Agrippa)

• Water supply (sewers & aqueducts)
• Pantheon (later rebuilt by Hadrian)
• Porticus of Livia: civic center
• Theater of Marcellus
• Temples (building and restoration)

• Vergil, Aeneid
• Horace, Odes
• History: Livy
• "Elegiac" poets (Propertius, Tibullus, Ovid)

Forum of Augustus

• Temple of Mars Ultor ("Mars the Avenger")
• Gallery of Roman heroes, Julian family

Mausoleum of Augustus, w/ Res Gestae  ("Accomplishments") engraved at entrance

Ara Pacis ("Altar of Peace"), 13-9 BC

• Commissioned by Senate
• Influenced by e.g. Parthenon sculptures
• Officials, priests of state cult (idealized)
• Imperial family (individualized) w/ kids
• Allegorical figure: Peace? Earth? Rome?
• Mythical figures (e.g. Aeneas)

• Breastplate w/ Parthian standards
• Cupid (< Venus as Julian ancestor)

Coinage

Gathering Clouds

German Campaign

• Elbe or Rhine as N. frontier?
• Destruction of Varus' legions, AD 9

• Marcellus (nephew) d. 23 BC
• Agrippa (son-in-law), d. 12 BC
• Drusus (stepson), d. 9 BC
• Gaius (grandson), d. 4 BC
• Lucius (grandson), d. 2 BC
• Agrippa Postumus (grandson) [insane]
• ... Tiberius (stepson)