author
Emperor of Rome Augustus
-63–14
A shrewd and resilient ruler, he transformed the Roman Republic into an empire and presided over a long period of relative peace that reshaped the ancient world. His rise from Julius Caesar’s heir to Rome’s first emperor remains one of history’s most dramatic political stories.
1 Audiobook
Monumentum Ancyranum: The Deeds of Augustus
by Emperor of Rome Augustus
About the author
Born Gaius Octavius on 23 September 63 BC, Augustus later became Julius Caesar’s adopted heir and emerged from the violent struggles after Caesar’s assassination as the dominant leader of Rome. He is also known as Octavian, especially for the years before he took the honorific name Augustus in 27 BC.
As Rome’s first emperor, he carefully rebuilt the state after decades of civil war. Ancient writers and modern historians alike connect his reign with major political reforms, a stronger imperial system, and the beginning of the Pax Romana, a long era of relative stability and prosperity across much of the Roman world.
He ruled from 27 BC until his death on 19 August AD 14. Remembered as a master of power, image, and statecraft, Augustus set the pattern for emperors who followed and left a mark on Roman government, culture, and memory that lasted for centuries.