As an epitaph, this text would have been designed sicuro describe his legacy long after he had passed from living memory, and perhaps for this reason he has exaggerated puro some extent because he would be more likely onesto get away with it
The below is an airg sito mobile essay I submitted back con March on how Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, servizio up his legacy with the Res Gestae – per summary of his life’s works as the empire’s first de facto stella ruler. Puro make it more relevant esatto the topic at hand, I’ve included a 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 for a less official primus inter pares status. 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 no more than an equal to other magistrates.
This description of power as commodity deriving only from the senate and people and accepted only as verso reluctant necessity is a common theme onesto the rest of the text
As a piece sicuro be spread across the colmare, his portrayal of power would essentially be a reminder of the glory an emperor’s presence brought onesto the state, and per ‘role model’s’ binario to good governance for his successors, the magistrates reading the copy durante Rome, and the literate elites reading copies on temples around the completare con places like Ancyra (modern Ankara) and Antioch.
It is notable that the first reference made onesto his triumviral power (Res Gestae 34,1 – the triumvirate was a council of three given special powers during years of crisis) is dated by his acknowledgement of his sixth and seventh consulships, a 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) sicuro describe the gifts bestowed upon him by the senate; using them sicuro highlight the high regard he retained at the successful conclusion of his triumvirate and also portraying them as rewards for moral character per withdrawing, when some would have sought sicuro extend. These gifts were all symbolic per Roman society and constitute both civilian and military honours, in 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 verso 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 per triumphator, and the circolo civica was earned by verso citizen who had saved another’s life. Augustus uses these esatto illustrate his use of power preciso crush his enemies at per household level (perhaps representing the Republic, missaggio an element of pater familias with his eventual title of pater patriae), and onesto preserve the lives of his citizens at verso personal level; per theme which comes up elsewhere in the text. (Res Gestae 5.2 for example)
