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A review by brnycx
Augustus: From Revolutionary to Emperor by Adrian Goldsworthy
4.0
A surprisingly readable (considering how dense it is) biography of Augustus, the first Roman Emperor. This book does a good job of painting the complexity of Augustus's character, and did away with some of my assumptions of what a man who paved the way for turning the Republic into a monarchy would be like.
It starts with a lot of context, painting the scene of the Rome Augustus grew up in - one ravaged by a series of vicious civil wars, and which he in turn partook in when he sailed against Antony and Cleopatra. At this stage, he's essentially a warlord - able to exert huge influence by the (illegal) acquisition of a private army after Julius Caesar's murder.
Once all the threats are eliminated, Augustus shows himself to be an adept politician and propagandist, delicately maintaining the appearance of an independent Senate whilst increasingly consolidating his power. Over time, his military dominance of the empire brought a peace Rome hadn't experienced in decades.
This book, although limited by the sources, does a good job of bringing the complex man to life too. His reign was marked by many personal tragedies, including the loss of close family members, heirs and friends. One letters to his grandson, a favoured successor who died at the age of 23, is especially moving, where he affectionately calls him "my dear Gaius, my dearest little donkey". But, on the other hand, he harshly exiles his only daughter Julia for adultery and never sees her again, giving express orders for her not to be buried in the grand family mausoleum he had built. There are many contradictions like this - clear-headed statesman prone to fits of petulant rage, murderous warlord likely to grant you clemency, insanely rich while maintaining a humbler lifestyle (relative to the standards of later emperors of course) - and Goldsworthy draws them out, making Augustus feel more realised than I was expecting for a such a historic figure from our distant past.
It starts with a lot of context, painting the scene of the Rome Augustus grew up in - one ravaged by a series of vicious civil wars, and which he in turn partook in when he sailed against Antony and Cleopatra. At this stage, he's essentially a warlord - able to exert huge influence by the (illegal) acquisition of a private army after Julius Caesar's murder.
Once all the threats are eliminated, Augustus shows himself to be an adept politician and propagandist, delicately maintaining the appearance of an independent Senate whilst increasingly consolidating his power. Over time, his military dominance of the empire brought a peace Rome hadn't experienced in decades.
This book, although limited by the sources, does a good job of bringing the complex man to life too. His reign was marked by many personal tragedies, including the loss of close family members, heirs and friends. One letters to his grandson, a favoured successor who died at the age of 23, is especially moving, where he affectionately calls him "my dear Gaius, my dearest little donkey". But, on the other hand, he harshly exiles his only daughter Julia for adultery and never sees her again, giving express orders for her not to be buried in the grand family mausoleum he had built. There are many contradictions like this - clear-headed statesman prone to fits of petulant rage, murderous warlord likely to grant you clemency, insanely rich while maintaining a humbler lifestyle (relative to the standards of later emperors of course) - and Goldsworthy draws them out, making Augustus feel more realised than I was expecting for a such a historic figure from our distant past.