Caesar Augustus (63 BC – AD 14), known as "Octavian" before he became emperor, was the first and among the most important of the Roman Emperors. As such, he has frequently been depicted in literature and art since ancient times.
In many of these works, Augustus appears as the main character, but he also frequently features as a supporting character in depictions of prominent contemporaries, most notably in those of his adoptive father Julius Caesar and his great rivalsMark Antony and Cleopatra. As a result of the various titles he adopted throughout his life, Augustus is known to history by several different names, however he is most commonly referred to as either Octavian, Caesar or Augustus in popular culture, depending on the stage of his life that is being depicted.[1]
Augustus' most visible impact on everyday culture is the eighth month of the year, which, having been previously known as Sextilis, was renamed in Augustus' honor in 8 BC because several of the most significant events in his rise to power, culminating in the fall of Alexandria, occurred during this month.[2] Commonly repeated lore has it that August has thirty-one days because Augustus wanted his month to match the length of Julius Caesar's July, but this is an invention of the thirteenth-century scholar Johannes de Sacrobosco. Sextilis in fact had thirty-one days before it was renamed, and it was not chosen for its length.[3][4]
Augustus was one of the most widely depicted individuals in ancient times,[5] appearing in coins, sculptures, cameos, plaques, and other media (no contemporary paintings of him survive, though many no doubt existed). Numerous arches and temples were dedicated to Augustus both during his lifetime and after his death, as the Roman imperial cult developed during his reign. His images were clearly controlled by the state, and consistently show a serene figure, who never shows signs of approaching old age, even in images dated to the last years before his death aged 75.
His dominant portrait, introduced in 27 BC to visually express the title Augustus, is that of the serene, ageless First Citizen, the most famous example of which is the Augustus of Prima Porta.[6] At its best, in Roland R. R. Smith's view, this "type achieves a sort [of] visual paradox that might be described as mature, ageless, and authoritative youthfulness".[7] Another full-size statue of Augustus with these "Primaporta type" features is the Augustus of Via Labicana, portraying Augustus in the role of Pontifex Maximus.
D. Boschung[8] identified four other portrait types (the Actium or Alcúdia type, the Béziers-Spoleto type, the Forbes or MA 1280 type, and the Lucus Feroniae type),[9] although Smith considers the Béziers-Spoleto type to be a variant of the Alcúdia type and the Lucus Feroniae type to be a category of dubious validity.[9] The Alcúdia portrait type is thought to have been developed around 40 BC to coincide with the adoption of the patronymic title Divi Filius; Smith describes it as "a youthful portrait with thick hair and probably some expression of vigour and energy".[7] Different scholars have argued whether the Forbes type, "with distinctive short forehead hair," preceded or followed the Prima Porta type.[10]
Cameos
There is a small group of spectacular imperial engraved gems, cameos carved in contrasting colours of stone. These are sometimes called "State Cameos",[11] that presumably originated, and were probably only seen, in the inner court circle of Augustus, as they show him with divine attributes that were still politically sensitive, and in some cases have sexual aspects that would not have been exposed to a wider audience.[12]
These include the Gemma Augustea in Vienna (which also has the Gemma Claudia showing the Emperor Claudius and his brother with their wives), the Great Cameo of France in Paris, the Blacas Cameo in the British Museum, and the portrait now re-used in the Cross of Lothair. The existence of a "State workshop" producing these gems has been inferred, probably staffed by artists of Greek origin.[13] Unlike larger sculpted portraits, these seem to have remained above ground since antiquity.
In the wars following Julius Caesar's assassination, a generation of Republican literary figures was lost. Cicero and his contemporaries were replaced by a new generation who spent their formative years under the old constructs and were forced to make their mark under the watchful eye of a new emperor and his quasi-culture minister, Gaius Maecenas, who was a prolific patron of the arts. The demand for great orators had ceased,[18] shifting to an emphasis on poetry. Other than the historian Livy, the most remarkable writers of the period were the poets Virgil, Horace, and Ovid.
Augustan literature produced the most widely read, influential, and enduring of Rome's poets. Although Virgil has sometimes been considered a "court poet", his Aeneid, the most important of the Latin epics, also permits complex readings on the source and meaning of Rome's power and the responsibilities of a good leader.[19] Ovid's works were wildly popular, but the poet was exiled by Augustus in one of literary history's great mysteries; carmen et error ("a poem" or "poetry" and "a mistake") is Ovid's own oblique explanation. Among prose works, the monumental history of Livy is preeminent for both its scope and stylistic achievement. The multi-volume work On Architecture by Vitruvius also remains of great informational interest.[19]
In the Bible, Augustus is mentioned by name in Luke 2:1. According to the Gospel of Luke, Augustus ordered a census be conducted of the ".. entire Roman World" and this is the reason that Joseph and Mary, who lived in Nazareth, were in Bethlehem when Jesus was born.[22] Joseph is described as a descendant of King David, who was born in Bethlehem, and, as such, Joseph was required to register his family in Bethlehem.
The Tribute Penny, the coin that was shown to Jesus when he made his famous "Render unto Caesar..." speech, is usually thought to be a Romandenarius with the head of Tiberius, Augustus' successor.[23] The inscription reads "Ti[berivs] Caesar Divi Avg[vsti] F[ilivs] Avgvstvs" ("Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus"), claiming that after death Augustus had become a god. However, it has been suggested by some scholars that denarii were not in common circulation in Judaea during Jesus' lifetime and that the coin was more probably an Antiochan tetradrachm bearing the head of Tiberius, with Augustus on the reverse.[24] Another suggestion often made is the denarius of Augustus with Gaius and Lucius on the reverse, while coins of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Germanicus are all considered possibilities.[25]
Medieval
In the Golden Legend, among other works from the Middle Ages, a legendary meeting between Augustus and the Tiburtine Sibyl is recounted. According to the story, Augustus inquires of the Sibyl whether he should be worshipped as a god. In response, the Sibyl reveals to Augustus a vision of the Virgin and the Christ Child, who will eclipse all Roman gods.[26][27]
Augustus (as Octavian) is the title character of a fourteenth-century Middle English verse translation and abridgement of a mid-13th century Old Frenchromance of the same name by an unknown author.[28] The story describes a trauma that unfolds in the household of Octavian, whose own mother deceives him into sending his wife and his two newborn sons into exile and likely death. After many adventures, the family are at last reunited and the guilty mother is appropriately punished.[29][30]
Modern
The 1934 historical fiction novel I, Claudius by Robert Graves has Augustus play a central role. Augustus is depicted as being a well-meaning ruler, who genuinely desires to retire from his status as Emperor and restore the Republic, but is driven by Livia into not doing so. Towards the end of his life, Augustus recognizes the sins of Livia and attempts to stave her off and declare Postumus Agrippa his heir, leading Livia to poison Augustus. Augustus deals with numerous heartbreaks, the greatest of which is his banishment of his daughter Julia for her numerous adulteries.
Augustus is a significant figure in Edward Burton's 1999 historical novel Caesar's Daughter.
Augustus, under the name of Gaius Octavius, plays a key role in the last two novels in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series. The later stages of The October Horse (2002) chronicle the emergence of Octavian, while Antony and Cleopatra (2007) spans the years 41-27 B.C. In the latter novel, Octavian and his wife, Livia, are depicted as pragmatic to the point of total ruthlessness but not needlessly cruel.
Augustus is mentioned in several of Harry Turtledove's alternative history novels, in particular Gunpowder Empire (2003), and features prominently in Turtledove's historical novelGive Me Back My Legions! (2009). The title of the 2009 novel refers to Augustus' alleged words in the aftermath of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, in which he was so devastated by the annihilation of three Roman legions that he spent the next several weeks in a stupour, repeating the phrase Quintili Vare, legiones redde! (Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!).
The fifth book in Conn Iggulden's historical fiction series, Emperor, entitled The Blood of Gods (2013), deals with the rise of Augustus and events after Julius Caesar's assassination.
Augustus (as Octavian) is an important character in Robert Harris' 2015 historical novel Dictator, which chronicles the last fifteen years of Cicero's life. Octavian also features in the 2017 stage adaptation of the novel.
The Romans celebrated Augustus on a variety of honorific monuments; he was also worshipped as a divine or semi-divine figure in temples in many parts of the Roman Empire.[34]
The Mausoleum of Augustus in Rome was long a neglected and ruined structure, buried beneath a hill. It has been excavated in recent years. It formed part of a large garden complex, with other buildings including the Ara Pacis.
Close up on the sculpted detail of the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace)
Theater
Augustus is a notable supporting character in William Shakespeare's plays Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra, in which he is called Octavius and Caesar respectively. Augustus' cold, ruthless personality contrasts starkly with Antony's romantic tendencies.
Augustus is a central character in Pierre Corneille's 1641 play Cinna, which favourably depicts the emperor's clemency.
Augustus is the central character in Nathaniel Lee's 1676 tragedy Gloriana, also known as The Court of Augustus Caesar, and was originally played by Michael Mohun.
Augustus also plays an important role in John Dryden's 1677 heroic drama, All for Love, although he never actually appears on stage.
Pax Soprana is the sixth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos, released in 1999. The title is a reference to the Pax Romana, an era of Roman peace ushered in by Augustus, which Tony Soprano hopes to achieve within the Soprano family. Augustus is mentioned by Tony in his conversation with Uncle Junior.
Augustus is played by Mark Warren and Colin Moy in several episodes of the Xena: Warrior Princess series (2000).
In the HBO/BBC/RAI television series Rome (2005), Octavian is portrayed as a young man by Max Pirkis and as an adult by Simon Woods.[36] In the first season of the series Octavian is a well-read supporter of Caesar. Octavian becomes the pupil of Titus Pullo and also advises Pullo several times. Octavian shifts to more overtly ambitious and Machiavellian in the second season as his growing rivalry with Antony becomes apparent. In contrast to more benign portrayals of Octavian, this portrayal depicts him as fairly cruel with only brief moments of humanity shown in his relationship with his sister. The series ends with Octavian's triumphant return to Rome after his victory over Antony and Cleopatra.
Augustus is portrayed by Santiago Cabrera in an ABC miniseries called Empire (2005), which takes place after the assassination of Julius Caesar.
In Civilization IV, each game concludes with various statistics and a timeline, as well as a scale comparing the player to various historical figures. Augustus Caesar is at the top of the scale. He was also added in the expansion Civilization IV: Warlords as a Roman leader, accompanying Julius Caesar from the original game.
Augustus also makes his way into Civilization V, once again leading the Roman Empire. His special ability is "The Glory of Rome", which grants production bonuses for city improvements.
Augustus is mentioned as a member of the Order of the Ancients in the game Assassin's Creed Origins and also appears in the comic book series of the same name.
Henig, Martin (ed), A Handbook of Roman Art, Phaidon, 1983, ISBN0714822140
Smith, Roland R. R. (1996). "Typology and diversity in the portraits of Augustus". Journal of Roman Archaeology. 9: 30–47. doi:10.1017/S1047759400016482.
Teuffel, Wilhelm Sigismund (1873). A History of Roman Literature. Translated by Wagner, Wilhelm. London: George Bell & Sons.
Williams, Dyfri. Masterpieces of Classical Art, 2009, British Museum Press, ISBN9780714122540