Deeds of the Divine Augustus Notes

Section 1

• Augustus, in his 19th year (43 BCE), raised an army at his own expense to liberate the state from oppression.
• The senate, under consuls Gaius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius, recognized him, granting him the place of a consul and imperium.
• He was appointed propraetor and tasked with safeguarding the state alongside the consuls.
• The people elected him consul in the same year after the consuls died in battle.
• He became a triumvir for the purpose of settling the state.

Section 2

• Augustus exiled those who murdered his father through legal means.
• He defeated them in two battles when they waged war against the state

Section 3

• Augustus engaged in numerous civil and foreign wars on land and sea.
• As victor, he pardoned citizens who sought it and preferred to preserve foreign nations rather than destroy them when safe to do so.
• Around 500,000 Roman citizens swore allegiance to him.
• He settled over 300,000 veterans in colonies or returned them to their cities, providing land or money for their service.
• He captured 600 ships, not counting the smaller triremes.

Section 4

• Augustus was awarded two ovations and three curule triumphs and was named emperor twenty-one times.
• He declined additional triumphs decreed by the senate.
• He placed laurel from the fasces in the Capitol after fulfilling vows made in each war.
• The senate decreed sacrifices to the gods 55 times due to his successes, with 890 days of decreed sacrifices.
• Kings and nine royal children were paraded in his triumphs.
• By 14 BCE, Augustus had been consul thirteen times and was in his thirty-seventh year of tribunician power.

Section 5

• Augustus refused the dictatorship when offered by the people and senate in 22 BCE.
• He accepted the curatorship of grain during a food shortage, resolving it with his own resources.
• He declined the annual and perpetual consulate when offered again.

Section 6

• Though the senate and people wanted to make him curator of laws and customs with supreme power in 19, 18, and 11 BCE, Augustus refused magistracies contrary to tradition.
• He exercised the senate's wishes through tribunician power, requesting and receiving a colleague five times.

Section 7

• Augustus was a triumvir for ten years.
• He was princeps senatus (first of the senate) for forty years.
• He held various religious positions: high priest, augur, member of the Fifteen for rites, member of the Seven for sacred feasts, brother of Arvis, fellow of Titus, and Fetial.

Section 8

• In 29 BCE, as consul for the fifth time, he increased the number of patricians.
• He conducted three readings of the roll of the senate.
• He conducted three lustrums (census and purification ceremony):
  • In 28 BCE with Marcus Agrippa: $4,063,000$ Roman citizens counted after a 41 year gap.
  • In 8 BCE alone: $4,233,000$ Roman citizens.
  • In 14 ACE with Tiberius Caesar: $4,937,000$ Roman citizens.
• He enacted new laws to restore ancestral traditions and set precedents for future generations.

Section 9

• The senate decreed vows for his health every fifth year.
• Games were often celebrated for his life by the four highest colleges of priests and the consuls.
• Citizens prayed for his health at all shrines.

Section 10

• His name was included in the Saliar Hymn and sanctified by law.
• He was granted sacrosanctity and tribunician power for life.
• He initially refused the high priesthood offered to him, accepting it later in 12 BCE after the death of the previous holder.

Section 11

• The senate consecrated the altar of Fortune the Bringer-back at the Campanian gate for his return from Syria (19 BCE).
• Yearly sacrifices were ordered on the day of his return, named Augustalia after his cognomen

Section 12

• A delegation of praetors, tribunes, consul Quintus Lucretius, and leading men was sent to meet him in Campania.
• Upon his return from Spain and Gaul (13 BCE), the senate voted to consecrate the altar of August Peace in the field of Mars, with annual sacrifices by magistrates, priests, and Vestal virgins.

Section 13

• The Gates of Janus Quirinus were closed three times during his principate, signifying peace secured through victory. Before Augustus they had only been closed twice.

Section 14

• His sons, Gaius and Lucius Caesar, were made consuls-designate at age fourteen, set to enter the magistracy in five years.
• They were included in public councils, named first of the youth by the Roman knights, and given shields and spears.

Section 15

• Augustus made multiple payments to the Roman plebs:
  • $HS 300$ per man from his father's will.
  • $HS 400$ from war spoils during his fifth consulate (29 BCE).
  • $HS 400$ per man from his own funds during his tenth consulate (24 BCE).
  • Twelve grain doles during his eleventh consulate (23 BCE).
  • $HS 400$ per man during his twelfth tribunician power (12-11 BCE).
• In his eighteenth year of tribunician power (5 BCE), he gave $HS 240$ per man to 320,000 urban plebs.
• He gave $HS 1000$ per man from war spoils to colonies of soldiers (29 BCE), benefiting about 120,000 men.
• During his thirteenth consulate (2 BCE), he gave $HS 240$ to over 200,000 plebs receiving public grain.

Section 16

• Augustus paid towns for fields assigned to soldiers:
  • $HS 600,000,000$ for Italian estates.
  • $HS 260,000,000$ for provincial fields.
• He was the first to do this when founding military colonies.
• He provided cash rewards to soldiers upon completion of service, spending about $HS 400,000,000$.

Section 17

• He contributed to the senatorial treasury four times, totaling $HS 150,000,000$.
• He donated $HS 170,000,000$ to the military treasury in 6 ACE to reward soldiers with twenty or more service terms.

Section 18

• From 18 BC, when taxes were insufficient, Augustus provided grain and money from his own resources, aiding up to and above 100,000 men.

Section 19

• Augustus constructed numerous public works:
  • The senate-house and the Chalcidicum.
  • The temple of Apollo on the Palatine with porticos.
  • The temple of divine Julius.
  • The Lupercal.
  • The portico at the Flaminian circus (named Octavian).
  • The state box at the great circus.
  • The temple on the Capitoline of Jupiter Subduer and Jupiter Thunderer.
  • The temple of Quirinus.
  • The temples of Minerva, Queen Juno, and Jupiter Liberator on the Aventine.
  • The temple of the Lares at the top of the holy street.
  • The temple of the gods of the Penates on the Velian.
  • The temple of Youth.
  • The temple of the Great Mother on the Palatine.

Section 20

• Augustus rebuilt the Capitol and the theater of Pompey without inscriptions of his name.
• He renovated aqueducts, doubling the Marcian aqueduct's capacity.
• He completed the Forum of Julius and the basilica between the temples of Castor and Saturn, expanding the latter after a fire and dedicating it in his sons' names.
• As consul for the sixth time (28 BCE), he rebuilt eighty-two temples.
• As consul for the seventh time (27 BCE), he rebuilt the Flaminian road to Ariminum and all bridges except the Mulvian and Minucian.

Section 21

• Augustus built the temple of Mars Ultor on private ground and the forum of Augustus from war spoils.
• He built the theater at the temple of Apollo under Marcus Marcellus name.
• He consecrated gifts from war spoils in various temples, costing about $HS 100,000,000$.
• He returned gold crowns weighing 35,000 to Italian towns and colonies and declined further gold crowns decreed by them.

Section 22

• Augustus held gladiator shows and athletic spectacles.
• He celebrated secular games as master of the college as well as the first games of Mars in 2 BCE.
• He organized hunts of African beasts, resulting in around 3,500 deaths

Section 23

• Augustus staged a naval battle with thirty ships and about 3,000 combatants, in addition to rowers in a 1,800 by 1,200 feet area.

Section 24

• He restored ornaments in Asian temples that had been despoiled during war.
• He removed his silver statues from about eighty cities and placed gold offerings in the temple of Apollo.

Section 25

• Augustus restored peace to the sea by dealing with pirates.
• He handed over 30,000 captured slaves for punishment.
• All of Italy pledged allegiance to him, as did the provinces of Gaul, Spain, Africa, Sicily, and Sardinia.
• Over 700 senators fought under his banner, with 83 becoming consuls and about 170 becoming priests.

Section 26

• Augustus extended the borders of Roman provinces bordering unsubdued nations.
• He pacified Gaul, Spain, and Germany, extending to the Elbe River.
• He brought peace to the Alps and sailed the ocean to the Cimbri.
• Germanic tribes sought friendship with Rome.
• Armies were sent to Ethiopia and Arabia, capturing towns.

Section 27

• Augustus added Egypt to Roman rule.
• He chose to install Tigranes as king of Armenia through Tiberius Nero.
• He recovered Adriatic provinces, Cyrene, Sicily, and Sardinia.

Section 28

• Augustus founded colonies for soldiers in various regions and twenty-eight colonies in Italy.

Section 29

• Augustus recovered military standards lost in Spain, Gaul, and Dalmatia.
• He compelled the Parthians to return Roman army standards and seek friendship and placed them in the temple of Mars Ultor.

Section 30

• He subjected the Pannonians to Roman rule through Tiberius Nero, expanding Illyricum to the Danube.
• He conquered the Dacians and forced them to accept Roman rule.

Section 31

• Emissaries from Indian kings and other groups sought friendship with Rome.

Section 32

• Kings from Parthia, Media, Adiabene, Britain, and Sugambri sought Augustus' favor.
• King Phrates of Parthia sent his sons and grandsons to Italy as pledges of friendship.
• Many other peoples established relations with Rome.

Section 33

• Augustus provided the Parthians and Medes with their first kings, selected from their own royalty.

Section 34

• In his sixth and seventh consulates (28-27 BCE), Augustus restored the state to the senate and people, receiving the name Augustus.
• Honors included laurel doors, a civic crown, and a gold shield inscribed with virtue, mercy, justice, and piety.
• He exceeded others in influence but held no greater power than his colleagues.

Section 35

• In his thirteenth consulate (2 BCE), he was named father of the country.
• This title was inscribed in various locations.
• At the time of writing, he was seventy-six years old.