Caesar Augustus: Gifted Statesman or Ruthless Ruler

12/01/2008 Heather Eichholz |Instructor Dr. Francis Brown |

history 333: History of Greece and Rome | Caesar Augustus: Gifted Statesman or Ruthless Ruler |

“Imperator Caesar Augustus, to give him his proper title”, was the founder of the Roman Empire and is often seen as one of the greatest pivotal figures to the history of Rome. Pivotal for multiple contributions that enhanced life in Rome. He created the denarius, a silver coin that made trade between different parts of the empire much easier. Trade also became faster when Augustus eliminated all taxed goods which merged the Roman lands into one large economic empire. He created faster transportation between cities by beginning a program of highway construction. Concrete was also discovered under Augustus and made the architecture of extravagant buildings easier and cost effective, while he was able to have them covered with marble so that the city looked like an empire of treasures. The last important contribution to the Pax Romana Augustus made was setting up the civil service. This service was open to anybody of all ranks. The civil service institution took care of Rome’s grain supply, road repairs, the postal system, and all the other daily work of running the empire. Under Augustus great accomplishments and advancements were made that added to the flourishing of the Roman Empire. Yet in researching Augustus one must pose the question, was he truly a great leader with love of Rome at the heart of his decisions or masterfully manipulative at achieving what he wanted? Or could he possibly accomplish both?
In many ways, Augustus left a deeper imprint on the world than Julius Caesar ever did. Despite being a total out and out imperialist (in my opinion), he understood the concept of institutions and drove them forward. Yet the man, Caesar Augustus, remains a figure of shadows that gets lost behind the details of his achievements and propaganda of the time. Caesar Augustus can arguably be

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