Augustus: The Life of the Greatest Roman Emperor Ever

After Julius Caesar, known as dictator for life, was assassinated in Rome by the senate in 44 BC, his grand nephew and adopted son, Octavian, took his place. Some people believe that he was not a good leader because he fought against the other two people in the triumvirate and attempted to be a dictator.

However, on the other hand, his dictatorship prevented Rome from having civil wars, and people gave him the title “Augustus” in order to thank him for his contributions to Rome. Overall, most people think that Octavian was a successful leader due to the fact that he improved the condition of Roman cities, stressed the importance of religion and literature, positively influenced Roman government, and had a lot of military success.

Roman society became more prosperous and organized under Augustus’ rule. He built many public buildings and temples for his people. For example, the temple of Mars the Avenger, the temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill, and the temple of Jupiter Tonans in the Capitol were built at his time. The temples which Augustus built provided people places to practice their religion. Augustus made Rome look more flourishing not only by building public constructions but also by setting up a guarding system to keep people safe. According to Suetonius, a Roman historian, (c.69-after 122 CE), “He appointed a nightly watch to be on their guard against accidents from fire…” The guard efficiently decreased the loss brought by fire accidents.

Hoping to create an organized society, Augustus also made the Tiber River wider and cleaner. Suetonius said, “... to prevent the frequent inundations, he widened and cleansed the bed of the Tiber, which had in the course of years been almost dammed up with rubbish, and the channel narrowed by the ruins of houses.” Because the Tiber river was widened, the Roman houses, buildings, and temples would be less possible to be destroyed by floods, and since the waste which was dirty and smelly was removed, the river looked better as well. As a result, Augustus created a stronger Rome using his power. In addition to paying attention to common people’s lives in Rome, Augustus, being a cultured man, stressed the importance of the civilization of Rome and encouraged the development of Roman religion and literature. Not wanting old religion to be abandoned, Augustus restored it. Suetonius wrote, “He...revived some old religious customs, which had become obsolete…” Restoring religion helped Rome keep its culture in the future.

Furthermore, Augustus paid attention to not only old religious customs but also corrected religious practices which were bad for people. He told people not to do the wrong practices most of which survived later in the civil war or started during the long peace. This behavior helped create a healthy society, and innocent people would not take part in the harmful religious practices. However, religion was not the only aspect that the great emperor focused on.

Additionally, Augustus strongly encouraged writing. Suetonius wrote, “Augustus gave all possible encouragement to intellectuals... He would politely and patiently attend readings not only of their poems and historical works, but of their speeches and dialogues.” Because learning literature helped people express their feelings, people who were promoted to write worked very passionately.

Thus, the Age of Augustus was considered the Golden Age of Roman Civilization. Augustus was a man who liked literature, but he was also a successful governor. Augustus showed his justice when governing the empire. He put his empire first and himself second. Augustus never conquered regions which did not have to be invaded, and he was not ambitious to expand his empire quickly and pursue his own glory. He ordered the chiefs of 11 some barbarous tribes to promise in the temple of Mars the Avenger that they would keep the world peaceful. His selflessness brought peace to the Roman Empire, and people were willing 12 to listen to him.

Additionally, Augustus did not take full power when he was governing the empire. Augustus allowed leaders of different provinces to rule in their own way. He gave the Greek and the Eastern leaders privileges to rule their regions without his supervision. Because 13 Augustus provided other leaders power to manage their territories, they appreciated and respected him. Moreover, Augustus’s outstanding leadership was shown not only by giving other people opportunities but also by developing political relationship of cities and other parts of Rome. Roman cities developed well under Augustus's political rule. He built many buildings and monuments in the cities to highlight the political connection between Rome and its urban areas.

With these public constructions in the cities, urban Romans got to know their political leader, Augustus, better. An excellent emperor such as Augustus was usually a good military leader as well. Augustus defeated people who threatened his position. He defeated Lepidus, who wanted to get power from him, and Lepidus was forced to retire. Because Augustus defeated people who wanted to take his position, he could keep ruling Rome in his way which was good for Roman citizens. In addition to fighting with his competitors, Augustus fought with other regions as well.

With the help of his loyal friend, Marcus Agrippa, Augustus’ army won Sextus Pompeius in Sicily. This victory expanded Roman territories, and people in Rome loved and supported Augustus because he won the battle. Furthermore, Augustus had wars against people who threatened Rome. He fought against the Illyrian tribes which tended to be a threat to northern Italy and won. Since Augustus efficiently defeated the regions which wanted to attack the Roman Empire, Rome became stronger and stronger.

In conclusion, even though Augustus held most of the power in his hands while ruling the Roman Empire, he always tried to benefit his people and country. Without Augustus, the Roman society would not have been such a harmonious community, Roman culture would hardly have been known, the government would not have been good enough to develop the empire, and the Roman armies would not have enjoyed so much success expanding territories and stabilizing the Empire. Augustus, as a leader who had full power in his hand, is not a tyrant. Thus, a dictator was not always totally a bad ruler, he could benefit the country by stabilizing the region, making efficient decisions whiling gorning, and avoiding civil wars caused by division among the people just as what Augustus had done.