Emperor Augustus - Aosta, Italy
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T-Team!
N 45° 44.347 E 007° 19.641
32T E 369875 N 5066423
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus also known as Octavian, was the founder of the Roman Empire. Here in the town center of Aosta, you will find a statue of him. Next to the Arch of Augustus
Waymark Code: WM1AT38
Location: Valle d'Aosta, Italy
Date Posted: 10/03/2024
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"The man now known as one of the most influential emperors of the Roman era was born Gaius Octavius in 63 BC. His mother is a cousin of Julius Caesar. That family connection helps set him on the path to emperorship of the Roman Empire.
Caesar is very fond of his second cousin. From an early age, Octavius is taken to numerous battles. In 44 BC, a group of senators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, put an end to Caesar's life. The then nineteen-year-old Gaius Octavius is included in Caesar's will as son and rightful heir, and thus the slain heir to the throne.
The long struggle for power in a divided Rome
But the Roman Empire that Caesar leaves behind after his death is sharply divided. With on one side his supporters - led by his sub-commander Mark Antony - and on the other his political enemies. Octavius forges an alliance with Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, another supporter of his uncle, but the alliance does not last long. After a civil war and a victory over Egypt, Octavius becomes the first princeps (emperor) of the Roman Empire. Caesar never carried that title: he called himself Dictator perpetuus, or “dictator for life.
What kind of ruler was Emperor Augustus?
From then on, Octavius leaves behind his birth name and goes through life as Emperor Augustus. Under the leadership of Emperor Augustus, the Roman Empire enters a two hundred year period of peace, which we now call the Pax Romana. This period of Roman peace ends only after the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the year 180. Also, the Roman Empire expands greatly during Augustus' time in power: he establishes his power as far as parts of Spain, Egypt, Central Europe and the Middle East.
Emperor Augustus also implements a number of practical, new measures that have a major impact on the daily lives of ordinary Romans. For example, he introduces a tax system, expands the road network, establishes a post office and provides for the permanent presence of police and firefighters in Rome.
The search for a successor
The reign of Emperor Augustus does not come to an end until he dies in AD 14 at the age of 76. He has no descendants as heirs at that time. Augustus married three times but had only one daughter, from his second marriage. This wayward Julia is banished from the empire. The reason? She allegedly committed adultery, something her father had forbidden by law. Augustus therefore appoints a stepson as his heir. Emperor Tiberius succeeds Augustus as leader of the Roman Empire."
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