History / Evolution of Civilization 12-Augustus and the Julio
Prof.Dr. Halit Hami Z Kafkas niversitesi/Kafkas University Kars,
Turkey [email protected]
Slide 2
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome The men who
assassinated Gaius Julius Caesar thought they had done Rome a great
service. They ran from Pompeys theater shouting, Liberty! Freedom!
Tyranny is dead! But they were wrong: it was the Republic that was
dead. Political assassination is not the way to save
self-government, and the assassination of Caesar led only to 13
more years of civil war, wars even worse than any described so far.
And when the dust had cleared, Rome was no longer a republic. One
strong man ruled the empire: Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, better
known to us by his title, Augustus.
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Slide 3
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome It was
Augustus task to try to rebuild a people torn apart by 100 years of
sporadic civil war, and, in view of the magnitude of the task, it
is somewhat surprising how successful he was. Its even more
surprising that Rome continued to be successful under his
successors, the Julio-Claudian emperors of Rome.
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Slide 4
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Augustus (31
BC-AD 14) certainly faced a difficult task. What Rome needed at the
time was a great hero, a Supermanand Augustus was anything but
that. He did have the great speaking skills one would hope for in a
great unifying leader. He didnt have the commanding physical
presence one might expect: in fact, he was weak and rather sickly.
His conduct during the period of the 2nd triumvirate was anything
but admirable, and, in terms of military and administrative
experience, he was hardly the equal of the great Roman leaders
before him. On top of that, he had a miserable family life.
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Slide 5
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome But Augustus
was one of those people who make up for an unhappy personal life by
absolutely throwing himself into his work. He clearly wanted to do
a good job, saying that he wanted when he died to be known for
having established the best possible government for his people, a
system that would stand the test of time. And he succeeded: the
empire period of Roman history lasts in the West until AD 476 and
in the East until 1453. Not too shabby.
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Slide 6
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome What was it
that Augustus did? Well, he made contributions to all Parkes three
keys to civilization success: physical security, ethical guidance,
and emotional fulfillment. Augustus first task was to unify his
people. He did this by more or less stealing a page from the
pharaohs. He supported the idea that Gaius Julius Caesar was now a
god. This made him, if not quite a god, half-way there: he was the
heir of a god, and deserving of the same kind of reverence. His
nickname, Augustus, means the revered one. Loyalty to the emperor
(and soon worship of the emperor) become the key to Roman unity.
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Slide 7
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Also helpful
was Augustus creation of the praetorian guard, 3000 elite soldiers
given the task of protecting the emperor and keeping order in the
city of Rome itself. Augustus restored order elsewhere too, sending
out his forces to end robbery/brigandage in Italy and sending out
his navy to end piracy in the Mediterranean. Augustus tried (not
terribly successfully) to address Roman ethical breakdown as well.
He tried to encourage marriage, to discourage divorce, and to
increase the number of children people were willing to raise. While
his family law measures didnt succeed, he was somewhat more
successful in his attempts to clean up ethical lapses in financial
dealings. http://www3.northern.edu/marmorsa/histo ry121.htm7
Slide 8
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Augustus was
considerably more successful in restoring a sense of emotional
fulfillment. He sponsored poets and historians who would remind
people of Romes great heritage, and point optimistically to better
days to come. He made a big deal of the idea that, with his reign,
a new age had begun in Roman history, a new age of peace and
prosperity. He sponsored artists who would create things like the
ara pacis, the altar of peace, decorated with great scenes from
Roman history, reminding Romans of their great heritage, but also
of the new age of peace that had arrived. Augustus also sponsored
many new public buildings, boasting that he found Rome a city of
bricks and left it a city of marble. These kind of things often do
work in restoring a sense that your country is on the right track.
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Slide 9
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Well begun:
half done, but only half done. In order for Augustus work to be
truly successful, he had to find someone to carry on when he was
gone. He had no surviving sons or grandsons, so the task of finding
as successor was a bit trickyespecially so since the system he had
created worked best of the emperor was closely tied to Julius
Caesar and to Augustus himself: being related to a god was a big
help in getting people to accept you in a job that meant you were
on the way to godhead yourself.
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Slide 10
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Augustus first
choice was his nephew Marcellus. Marcellus was already related to
Augustus, but Augustus wanted the tie to himself to be even closer,
so he arranged a marriage between Marcellus and Julia, Augustuss
daughter. All goodexcept Marcellus dies before Augustus, and
Augustus was back at square one. Next, Augustus chooses
Agrippaanother fine choice. Agrippa was a great general and
administrator, but he had the disadvantage of not being directly
related to Augustus. Not to worry. Augustus had a daughterJuliawho
was available, having been recently widowed. All goodexcept Agrippa
dies before Augustus, and Augustus is back at square one.
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Slide 11
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Now Augustus
chooses his stepson Tiberius: not a bad choice, but, again, a man
not as clearly connected to the divine family as he might be, and
Augustus wants the tied to be closer. Not to worry. Augustus has a
daughterJuliawho was available, having been recently widowed.
Tiberius is forced to divorce his own wife so he can marry Julia.
And, this time, the designated successor does eventually take over.
Tiberius (AD 14-37) was a skillful administrator, and, in some
ways, a more talented man than Augustus. Nevertheless, he had a
real weakness: a tendency to be suspicious to the point of
paranoia. In most situations, this wouldnt have been a problem, but
putting someone like this in a position of supreme power is a
potential disaster. http://www3.northern.edu/marmorsa/histo
ry121.htm11
Slide 12
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Tiberius
trusted only one man, his praetorian prefect, a man named Sejanus,
and this was the one man he should not have trusted. Sejanus had
plans of his own, plans to acquire money and power. The first was
easy enough. Pretending to be concerned about the emperors safety,
Sejanus convinced Tiberius to investigate and prosecute crimes of
maiestas, impugning the majesty of the Roman people. Maiestas was a
vague charge (saying anything critical of the emperor could be
regarded as maiestas) but it was a very serious charge. Undermining
the emperor meant undermining the fragile unity of Rome, possibly
renewed civil war. Essentially, then, maiestas was treason, an
offense that merited the most severe punishment: not just death,
but the confiscation of ones entire estate as well.
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Slide 13
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome And those who
ferreted out such crimes deserved a reward, yes? Well, what about
10% of the confiscated estate? Note that such terms would lead to a
rash of maiestas cases, and many innocent people are going to end
up dead. Further, Sejanus can use the maiestas charge to help him
eliminate potential rivals in Rome. And those he cant get rid of in
this way, he gets rid of in other ways. He seduces the emperors
daughter-in-law, and, with her help, poisons Tiberius son Drusus,
making it look like a natural death. One step closer to the throne
for Sejanus. http://www3.northern.edu/marmorsa/histo
ry121.htm13
Slide 14
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Further, each
maiestas case fed Tiberius paranoia, giving Sejanus even more
leverage over the panic-stricken emperor. Ultimately, Sejanus
persuades Tiberius to leave Rome for Capri, while he himself takes
over the day to day operation of the city. Ultimately, he expected
to be named Tiberius heir. And at last the day arrived: a letter
from Tiberius to be read to the senate. But instead of making
Sejanus his heir, Tiberius called for the immediate arrest and
execution of Sejanus. Somehow, Tiberius had finally seen through
Sejanus machinations, finding out all sorts of unsavory things
about his praetorian prefect.
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Slide 15
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome And so Sejanus
is gonehis daughter and son executed too, poor kidsbut Rome is no
better off. Now Tiberius is more paranoid than ever, determined to
get them before they get him. He launches a reign of terror,
killing anyone he believes is plotting against himand then killing
off their friends and family members because he thinks they are
plotting revengeand then killing off their friends and family
members because he thinks they may be plotting revengeand thenwell,
so it goes. Tiberius dies in AD 37, and the Roman people breathe a
sigh of relief: but not for long. The new emperor, Gaius (Caligula)
proves even scarier than Tiberius.
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Slide 16
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Caligula (AD
37-41) began his reign with the enthusiastic support of the people
of Rome. They turned Tiberius funeral into a celebration of the new
emperor, calling him star, chicken, baby, and pet (yes, I know
thats strange). Why so enthusiastic? Well, Caligulas father,
Germanicus, had been much loved by the Roman people, a great
general. They thought Caligula would take after his dadand thats
clearly what dad had wanted. When Caligula was a little boy, he had
dressed his son in military uniform and taken him into camp again
and again. The soldiers loved the little boy in his uniform, a
uniform complete with military style boots. They called the boy
little boots, and thats where we get the Caligula nickname.
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Slide 17
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Unfortunately,
after his fathers death, Caligulas childhood had been a nightmare.
His relatives were killed right and left, victims of Sejanus plots
or Tiberius paranoia. No one survives a childhood like this
unscathed, and Caligula began his reign with a lot of psychological
baggage. Now adding to that: the strain of being a god.
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Slide 18
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Its just not
easy to be a god. For one thing, its hard to find an appropriate
wife. You need a goddess, right? Well, Caligula seeks a goddess
wife. He prays that the goddess of the moon will join him as his
wife: but she must have had a prior commitment or something, and
Caligula has to look elsewhere. There is a family in Rome producing
gods and goddesses, isnt there? Why, yes. His own! And where can he
find a goddess? Well, what about his sister Drusilla? So to the
destructive psychological mix we now add incestand disaster is on
its way. And when his beloved Drusilla dies: well, the last thread
connecting Caligula to reality is gone.
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Slide 19
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome He cant deal
with problems rationally. He finds hes getting a high butcher bill:
maintaining the lions, tigers, and bears for his lavish circus
shows is expensive. So he looks for a supply of cheap meet. He goes
to the prison, picks out a bunch of prisoners, has them slaughtered
up and turned into Purina lion chow. Well, it did lower the butcher
bill. http://www3.northern.edu/marmorsa/histo ry121.htm19
Slide 20
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome He took
advantage of his power to exploit both men and women sexually,
forcing them to engage in all sorts of perversions. And if one
didnt go along, a horrible death awaited. He kept his prisoners is
cages too small to allow them to stand or lie down. He had people
sawn in half, or subjected to the death of a thousand cuts. He
forced parents to laugh and joke with him while their sons were
executeda cruel man. He finally made the mistake of insulting the
wrong people, members of his praetorian guard. The guardsmen
themselves killed him (and his wife and baby daughter too .)
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Slide 21
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome And now a new
emperor: Caligulas uncle Claudius (AD 41-54). Claudius was a
well-meaning, scholarly man. He had studied a lot of history,
writing many volumes on Augustus. He was perhaps the last man to
know well the ancient Etruscan language. Unfortunately, he was not
the kind of man who can be easily accepted as an emperor and
soon-to-be god. He spoke with a stutter, and walked with a limp:
something of a buffoon. Caligula may have let him live only because
he enjoyed making fun of his clownish uncle.
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Slide 22
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Make matters
worse: Claudius wives. Claudius third wife, Messalina, was a
beautiful young woman, and Claudius was very much in love with her.
But a beautiful young woman is not likely to find an awkward man in
his fifties much to her taste. She cheated on Claudius right and
left and very openly. Claudius, already having a hard time with the
emperor image, has an even tougher time when not even his wife
shows him any respect. http://www3.northern.edu/marmorsa/histo
ry121.htm22
Slide 23
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Messalina
finally goes too far, celebrating a mock marriage ceremony with one
of her many lovers. But Roman marriage customs were less formal
than ours, and this mock marriage could easily have been regarded
as real. And, since Messalina was as closely tied to the divine
Julius Caesar as Claudius himself, any man who took Claudius place
in bed was a potential threat for taking over his throne as well.
Claudius couldnt bring himself to deal with the beautiful Messalina
directly, but he finally did give his friends the authorization to
do what had to be done. When adultery involves a queen or an
empress it is (quite rightly) regarded as an act of treason, and
Messalina and her lover were excecuted.
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Slide 24
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome And now, a new
wife for Claudius, Agrippina. Agrippina was also an attractive
young woman, but she had a lot more political in the way of
political smarts than did Messalina. She wrapped Claudius around
her little finger, and tried to run the empire through him. But it
was a frustrating task. Claudius was wishy-washy, and, while
Agrippina could persuade him to say he was going to take a certain
course of action, someone else might talk him out of it.
Frustrating for Agrippina. She wanted on the throne someone she
could depend on to more consistently carry out her wishesher son by
a previous marriage, Nero. Claudius adopts Nero as his heir, and
then Agrippina poisons Claudius.
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Slide 25
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome At first,
Neros reign (AD 54-68) goes well. He is only 16, and his mother and
his advisors are running things. Eventually, however, Nero tires of
his mothers interference. One area of conflict: Neros marriage.
Agrippina had insisted that Nero marry a woman named Octavia, one
of the last surviving relatives of Augustus. Nero wanted to divorce
Octavia and marry his mistress, Poppaea Sabina. Agrippina said no:
have as many mistresses as you want, but, for political reasons,
you have to stay married to Octavia.
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Slide 26
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Nero was
afraid to disobey his mother, and he really wanted her out of the
picture. Andbeing emperorhe could get her out of the picture. To be
free to do what he wanted, Nero ordered his own mothers execution
(AD 59). Free from his mothers interference, Nero can now do what
he wants. He could simply have divorced Octavia, but, instead, he
charges her with adultery (hypocrite and liar), has her executedand
gives her severed had to Poppaea Sabina as a present.
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Slide 27
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Nero is now
free to indulge his other tastes as well. He fancied himself a
great artist, and launched an artistic career. But what he didnt do
was effectively govern Rome. His misgovernment provoked serious
revolts in Britain and Judaea. And in Rome, Nero failed to handle
the great fire of AD 64. Instead of doing his best to put the fire
out, Nero supposedly took the streets with his lyre: singing about
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Slide 28
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Naturally, a
man like this provokes enemies, and (like Tiberius), Nero was
determined to get them before they got him. He executed many
senatorsincluding his former tutor the philosopher and playwright
Senecabecause he thought they were plotting against him. He
executed his greatest general, Corbuloand this proved a mistake.
Neros other generals (stationed in various parts of the empire)
were fearful they might be the next targets, and began leading
their troops toward Rome in an effort to overthrow Nero. Nero
panics and decides to kill himself. His famous last words: what an
artist the world is losing! http://www3.northern.edu/marmorsa/histo
ry121.htm28
Slide 29
Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Emperors of Rome Neros death
plunged Rome into a new period of civil war: four emperors in the
space of a year, each one using his troops ruthlessly in the quest
for power. Roman troops sack and destroy Roman cities, and even
attack the city of Rome itself. And you know whats surprising in
all this? Once again, the empire grows. During this period, Egypt,
Palestine, and Britain are added to the empire. Rome grows! And the
systems set up by August will endure for four centuries more in the
west, and for over 1000 years in the east. Is that amazing, or is
that amazing? http://www3.northern.edu/marmorsa/histo
ry121.htm29