How does Augustus portray his own power in Res Gestae Divi Augusti 34?
As an epitaph, this text would have been designed to describe his legacy long after he had passed from living memory, and perhaps for this reason he has exaggerated onesto some extent because he would be more likely onesto get away with it
The below is an essay I submitted back per March on how Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, set up his legacy with the Res Gestae – a summary of his life’s works as the empire’s first de facto astro ruler. Onesto make it more relevant onesto the topic at hand, I’ve included per summary of his comments on Britain and what we can infer from them.
The Res Gestae Divi Augusti, an autobiographical funerary inscription detailing Augustus’ life and achievements, was completed near the end of his life at the via of the first century CE. Section 34, toward the end of the piece, primarily concerns the trading of his official triumvir job title https://datingranking.net/it/singleparentmeet-review/ for a less official primus inter pares stato. Augustus describes the completion of his duties and his honours granted by the senate at some length, while stressing that his new position makes him in nessun caso more than an equal sicuro other magistrates.
This description of power as commodity deriving only from the senate and people and accepted only as verso reluctant necessity is per common theme esatto the rest of the text
As per piece to be spread across the empire, his portrayal of power would essentially be a reminder of the glory an emperor’s presence brought puro the state, and verso ‘role model’s’ duplice sicuro good governance for his successors, the magistrates reading the copy con Rome, and the literate elites reading copies on temples around the empire durante places like Ancyra (modern Ankara) and Antioch.
It is notable that the first reference made puro his triumviral power (Res Gestae 34,1 – the triumvirate was verso council of three given special powers during years of crisis) is dated by his acknowledgement of his sixth and seventh consulships, verso remarkable achievement previously matched only by the popular general Marius. He describes ‘universal consent’ and ‘complete control’, but more importantly immediately stresses the relinguishing of his power upon completion of his alotted task. He does not acknowledge any extraordinary political power of his own outside his triumviral years always describing his acts as being ‘by order of the people and the senate’ or ‘on the authority of the senate’ (ibid 8.1, 20.5)
He goes on (ibid 34 ,2) onesto describe the gifts bestowed upon him by the senate; using them preciso highlight the high regard he retained at the successful conclusion of his triumvirate and also portraying them as rewards for moral character in withdrawing, when some would have sought onesto extend. These gifts were all symbolic mediante Roman society and constitute both civilian and military honours, sopra keeping with his role as holder of both kinds of power.
The agnomen Augustus is the derivative of the modern word August – ‘inspiring reverence and admiration’ and is per clear sign of the way he projected his power and the face of his administration. Both the wreaths he mentions upon his house and person are symbols of great prestige – the laurel bay leaf wreath for his house signifies the wreath worn by a triumphator, and the disco civica was earned by a citizen who had saved another’s life. Augustus uses these preciso illustrate his use of power sicuro crush his enemies at a household level (perhaps representing the Republic, mixing an element of pater familias with his eventual title of pater patriae), and esatto preserve the lives of his citizens at per personal level; a theme which comes up elsewhere per the text. (Res Gestae 5.2 for example)