Augustus
Also known as: Gaius Julius Caesar · Gaius Caesar · Caesar Octavianus · Gaius Octavius Thurinus · Gaius Octavius Caepias · Caius Octavius Thurinus · Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus · Octavius Caesar
- 1Reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC to AD 14.
- 2Established the principate system of government.
- 3Initiated the imperial cult to solidify state authority.
- 4Oversaw a period of relative peace known as the Pax Romana.
Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the founder of the Roman Empire and the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.
Connections1
Political context of the poem's composition
Ovid wrote the Metamorphoses during the reign of Augustus, and the poem's themes of transformation and power reflect the political climate of the early Roman Empire.
Augustus, originally known as Octavian, was the foundational figure of the Roman Empire and served as its first emperor from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. His long reign marked the beginning of an era of relative stability and peace, often referred to as the Pax Romana, which significantly reduced armed conflict across the Roman world.
The Death of Caesar by Vincenzo Camuccini, 1805, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, RomeWikimedia Commons: File:Vincenzo_Camuccini_-_La_morte_di_Cesare.jpgDenarius from 44 BC, showing Julius Caesar on the obverse and the goddess Venus on the reverse of the coin. Caption: CAESAR IMP. M. / L. AEMILIVS BVCAWikimedia Commons: File:RSC_0022_-_transparent_background.pngAn idealized Roman sculpted portrait of Octavius as a teenager, possibly produced posthumously or when he was much older, now located in the Vatican Museums [ 23 ]Wikimedia Commons: File:GaiusOctavius.jpg To maintain political order, he established the principate, a system of government characterized by the emperor's nominal deference to the Senate. This administrative structure successfully stabilized the state and persisted until the onset of the Crisis of the Third Century.