Augustus and the Principate

This set of 100 flashcards covers the rise, reign, reforms, and succession of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, as detailed in the lecture transcript.

What timeframe did Augustus's reign span?

$$31 \text{ BC} - \text{AD } 14$$

On what date did the Battle of Actium take place?

$$2 \text{nd September } 31 \text{ BC}$$

Which two leaders were defeated by Octavian at the Battle of Actium?

Mark Antony and Cleopatra

Who was the trusted friend of Octavian who commanded forces at Actium?

Marcus Agrippa

What was the name of the new town Octavian founded near the site of the Battle of Actium?

Nikopolis

What does the name Nikopolis mean?

Victory city

To which deity did Octavian dedicate a victory offering of ten ships near Actium?

Apollo

How many ships did Octavian dedicate as a victory offering according to Strabo?

$$10$$

According to literature by Virgil and Horace, how was Antony portrayed to popularize Octavian's victory?

As a foreign menace rather than a Roman one

In which document did Augustus catalogue his own achievements after his death?

Res Gestae

How does the Res Gestae describe Italy's involvement in the war against Actium?

The whole of Italy of its own accord demanded Octavian as its commander

Which historian noted that Augustus was greeted by huge crowds and universal acclaim upon his return from Actium?

Velleius Paterculus

In what year did Augustus celebrate a triple triumph?

$$29 \text{ BC}$$

What three victories were celebrated in Augustus's triple triumph of $29 \text{ BC}$?

Actium, Dalmatia, and Alexandria

According to the triumphal arch inscription, for what purpose was the monument built?

To commemorate the preservation of the state

What was the Pax Augusta?

The peace and stability the Romans believed they were destined to maintain in the world

How many times were the doors of the Temple of Janus Quirinus closed during Augustus's reign?

$$3$$

How many times had the doors of the Temple of Janus Quirinus been closed before Augustus was born?

$$2$$

What is the Latin name for the Altar of Augustan Peace?

Ara Pacis Augustae

What is the definition of auctoritas in the context of Augustus's power?

The ability of an individual to affect socio-political circumstances without need for official power

What is the definition of potestas?

Official political power

In what year was the last Roman king expelled?

$$510 \text{ BC}$$

In what year was Julius Caesar murdered?

$$44 \text{ BC}$$

What was the First Constitutional Settlement engineered to achieve?

To make it appear Augustus was preserving the Republic while gaining absolute power

In what year did the First Constitutional Settlement take place?

$$27 \text{ BC}$$

According to Dio, why could an emperor remind detractors that his power was legitimate?

Because the power had been agreed by the people and the Senate

What honorific title meaning revered one did Octavian take in $27 \text{ BC}$?

Augustus

What alternative title meaning founder did Octavian consider using before choosing Augustus?

Romulus

Which four honors were granted to Augustus in the First Constitutional Settlement?

Laurel doorposts, Civic Crown, Shield of Virtue, and recognition of his auctoritas

Which three regions composed the super province given to Augustus in $27 \text{ BC}$?

Spain, Gaul, and Syria

What was Augustus's real motivation for controlling the super provinces according to Dio?

To ensure the senators were unarmed while he possessed arms and controlled troops

For how many years was Augustus's authority initially granted in the First Constitutional Settlement?

$$10$$

In what year was the Second Constitutional Settlement agreed?

$$23 \text{ BC}$$

What power reaffirmed the princeps as the head of the Roman army in the Second Constitutional Settlement?

imperium proconsulare maius

What did imperium proconsulare maius enable Augustus to do regarding provincial governors?

It enabled him to overrule any provincial governor

Which power was described by Tacitus as the expression of the supremacy of the emperor's position?

tribunicia potestas

Which right did the tribunicia potestas grant Augustus regarding the Senate?

The right to put forward senatorial points of debate and to veto legislation

What was Augustus's paramount notion regarding the state of Rome?

The Restoration of the Republic

In which work did Virgil state that Augustus shall bring back the age of gold to Latium?

Aeneid

What was the primary goal of the Julian Laws on marriage and adultery passed in $18 \text{ BC}$?

To promote legitimate offspring among Rome's upper classes

What was the meaning of the word lustra?

A purification ritual performed at the end of a census

In which three years did Augustus complete the lustra?

$28 \text{ BC}$, $8 \text{ BC}$, and $\text{AD } 14$

Which religious office did Augustus take in $12 \text{ BC}$ that made him the moral authority in Rome?

Pontifex Maximus

How many volumes of prophetic verse did Augustus destroy?

$$2,000$$

Which sacred books did Augustus rewrite to edit tradition?

Sibylline Books

According to the Res Gestae, how many neglected temples did Augustus restore?

$$82$$

How many temples does Virgil claim Augustus restored in the Aeneid?

$$300$$

Where was the Imperial Cult involving the worship of Augustus as a living god tolerated?

In the East

What is a numen in Roman belief?

A divine aspect of a person

What is a genius in Roman belief?

The spirit of a person or a place

Where was the Altar to numen Augustus located according to evidence from $\text{AD } 12-13$?

Narbo in Gaul

Where does Ovid mention the genius of Augustus being worshipped?

At crossroads

What was Tacitus's criticism of the Imperial Cult?

That there were no honors left for the gods since Augustus chose to be worshipped

Into how many districts did Augustus divide Rome?

$$13$$

How were the magistrates who oversaw Rome's districts chosen?

They were chosen annually by lot

What infrastructure improvements did Augustus institute to protect the city?

A fire brigade and regulations to prevent fires

How many senators were there under Julius Caesar?

$$1,000$$

To what number did Augustus reduce the Senate according to the Res Gestae?

$$700$$

By $18 \text{ BC}$, how many members were in the Senate?

$$600$$

What happened to senators who had supported Mark Antony?

They were severely taxed

What was the property qualification for a senator under Augustus?

$$1 \text{ million sesterces}$$

What was the property qualification for a senator before Augustus increased it?

$$400,000 \text{ sesterces}$$

What newly created role could leading senators serve in?

praefectus urbi (Prefect of the City)

How many praetors existed after Augustus added two new ones?

$$10$$

Which documents from $7/6 \text{ BC}$ indicate Augustus's control over provincial administration?

The Edicts of Cyrene

What famous quote by Suetonius describes Augustus's physical transformation of Rome?

Found a Rome built of bricks, but left one clothed in marble

What was the centerpiece of Augustus's massive building project?

The Augustan Forum

Which temple was located within the Augustan Forum?

The Temple of Mars Ultor

What approach to the names of original builders did Augustus maintain on restored buildings?

He left the original builders' names and did not add his own

What two methods did Augustus use to maintain the loyalty of the plebs?

Entertainment and largesse

How did Juvenal satirize Augustus's approach to the people?

Bread and circuses

In what year did the people riot over a lack of corn when Augustus was not consul?

$$22 \text{ BC}$$

What office did the rioting people demand Augustus take in $22 \text{ BC}$?

Dictator

What was the congiarium (or plural congiaria)?

Money or tokens for corn hand-outs

How much money did Augustus hand out to individuals in $24 \text{ BC}$?

$$400 \text{ sesterces each}$$

Which social class was promoted to significant political roles such as the governor of Egypt?

Equestrians

What was the consilium principis?

A privy council consisting of Augustus, the two consuls, and 15 senators

What was the percentage of the inheritance tax imposed on senators in $\text{AD } 6$?

$$5\%$$

According to Paterculus, when did a conspiracy occur at the start of Augustus's reign?

$$2.88.1-3$$

Which individuals plotted a conspiracy against Augustus circa $23 \text{ BC}$?

Fannius Caepio and Varro Murena

Who plotted against Augustus in $16 \text{ BC}$ but was shown mercy?

Cinna

Who advised Augustus to be merciful to Cinna?

Livia

What does Tacitus warn about contemporary accounts of Augustus?

They were all bound in flattery

Who was Augustus's daughter?

Julia

Who was Julia's mother?

Scribonia

To whom was Julia first married to accelerate his career?

Marcellus

In what year did Marcellus die suddenly?

$$23 \text{ BC}$$

Who was Julia's second husband, seen as a close ally to Augustus?

Marcus Agrippa

Who were the three male heirs fathered by Marcus Agrippa and Julia?

Gaius, Lucius, and Agrippa Postumus

In what year was Julia exiled for adultery?

$$2 \text{ BC}$$

What was the common theme in Augustan coinage regarding his physical appearance?

He was always depicted as youthful and vigorous

Which title, meaning leader of the youth, was given to Gaius and Lucius?

princeps iuventutis

At what age were Gaius and Lucius made consuls designate?

$$15$$

Whomedid Augustus adopt after the deaths of Gaius and Lucius?

Tiberius

Who was Tiberius's mother and Augustus's third wife?

Livia

In what year did Tiberius adopt his nephew Germanicus?

$$\text{AD } 4$$

Which historian claims Livia had a hand in the deaths of Gaius and Lucius?

Tacitus

What was Livia's first husband's name?

Tiberius Claudius Nero

In what year did Livia and Augustus marry?

$$39 \text{ BC}$$

Why did Tacitus suggest Augustus appointed Tiberius as his successor?

So the odious comparison to Tiberius's arrogance and cruelty would increase Augustus's own glory