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Augustus Caesar....
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The Caesar of Rome was born with the given name Gaius Octavius on
September 23, 63 B.C. He took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus
(Octavian) in 44 B.C. after the murder of his great uncle, Julius Caesar. In
his will Caesar had adopted Octavian and made him his heir.
Octavian was a shrewd, brilliant and astute politician. Through cold, hard
political calculation he able to achieve power in Rome. At the time of
Caesar's assassination, Octavian had no official power. Only after he
marched on Rome and forced the senate to name him consul, was he established
as a power to be reckoned with. In 43 B.C., Octavian, Marcus Antonius
(Mark Antony—one of his uncle's top
lieutenants) and another Roman General, Marcus Lepidus, formed the second Triumvirate to rule Rome. After taking power, the
Triumvirate proscribed and slaughtered thousands of political enemies,
firmly establishing their control of the Roman
government. |
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Augustus
First Roman Emperor
63 B.C. - 14 C.E.
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In 40 B.C., Antony married Octavia, Octavian's sister,
and later deserted her for Cleopatra, Queen of
Egypt. When Antony gave
Roman
provinces to his children by Cleopatra, Octavian declared war on Antony. In
31 B.C. the Roman Navy under Agrippa defeated the combined fleets of Antony
and Cleopatra, and within a year both had committed suicide. |
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Rome achieved great glory under Augustus. He
restored peace after 100 years of civil war; maintained an honest government
and a sound currency system; extended the highway system connecting
Rome
with its far-flung empire; developed an efficient postal service; fostered
free trade among the provinces; and built many bridges, aqueducts and
buildings adorned with beautiful works of art created in the classical
style. Literature flourished with writers including Virgil, Horace, Ovid,
and Livy all living under the emperor's patronage. |
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The empire expanded under Augustus with his generals
subduing Spain, Gaul (now France), Panonia and Dalmatia (now parts of
Hungary and Croatia). He annexed Egypt and most of southwestern Europe up to
the Danube River. After his death, the people the Roman
Empire worshipped
Augustus as a god. |
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