Gregory Aldrete

But no, he defended the liberty of the republic when it was oppressed by the tyranny of a faction. That's propaganda. And it works. It is propaganda.

I would really like to know what Romans of his time thought. Like if you were alive at that moment, would you honestly believe that oh, okay, we've got this guy Augustus, but he's brought peace. He's just kind of keeping in charge for a while until things settle down. We've just had 100 years of civil war. I think we still have a republic. Or would you say, nah, we have a king now?

I would really like to know what Romans of his time thought. Like if you were alive at that moment, would you honestly believe that oh, okay, we've got this guy Augustus, but he's brought peace. He's just kind of keeping in charge for a while until things settle down. We've just had 100 years of civil war. I think we still have a republic. Or would you say, nah, we have a king now?

I would really like to know what Romans of his time thought. Like if you were alive at that moment, would you honestly believe that oh, okay, we've got this guy Augustus, but he's brought peace. He's just kind of keeping in charge for a while until things settle down. We've just had 100 years of civil war. I think we still have a republic. Or would you say, nah, we have a king now?

And I don't know what the answer to that is. I will tell you that it takes 200 years before we have the first Roman source that bluntly calls Augustus a king. Mm-hmm. So 200 years. It takes the Romans 200 years to admit to themselves. And that's a guy who comes along 200 years later and says, hey, Augustus, he looks like a king. He acts like a king.

And I don't know what the answer to that is. I will tell you that it takes 200 years before we have the first Roman source that bluntly calls Augustus a king. Mm-hmm. So 200 years. It takes the Romans 200 years to admit to themselves. And that's a guy who comes along 200 years later and says, hey, Augustus, he looks like a king. He acts like a king.

And I don't know what the answer to that is. I will tell you that it takes 200 years before we have the first Roman source that bluntly calls Augustus a king. Mm-hmm. So 200 years. It takes the Romans 200 years to admit to themselves. And that's a guy who comes along 200 years later and says, hey, Augustus, he looks like a king. He acts like a king.

Let's just call him a king because he had every aspect of a king except the paltry title.

Let's just call him a king because he had every aspect of a king except the paltry title.

Let's just call him a king because he had every aspect of a king except the paltry title.

And to give sort of both sides here, Augustus wasn't all nice. I mean, there were moments where he was extremely cruel. So early in his career, when he's still fighting, when he's for power, he goes all in on prescriptions. which is where he and Ante and other people basically post lists of their enemies and say it's legal for anyone to kill these people.

And to give sort of both sides here, Augustus wasn't all nice. I mean, there were moments where he was extremely cruel. So early in his career, when he's still fighting, when he's for power, he goes all in on prescriptions. which is where he and Ante and other people basically post lists of their enemies and say it's legal for anyone to kill these people.

And to give sort of both sides here, Augustus wasn't all nice. I mean, there were moments where he was extremely cruel. So early in his career, when he's still fighting, when he's for power, he goes all in on prescriptions. which is where he and Ante and other people basically post lists of their enemies and say it's legal for anyone to kill these people.

And so hundreds are massacred there, including Cicero, the great order, is prescribed and killed. There's moments when he's really cruel. One slave once gets him angry and he has him tortured in a particularly sort of cruel manner. So, I mean, on the one hand, he had this clemency. On the other hand, he could be really hard-nosed and hard-edged. I think he was a very calculating person.

And so hundreds are massacred there, including Cicero, the great order, is prescribed and killed. There's moments when he's really cruel. One slave once gets him angry and he has him tortured in a particularly sort of cruel manner. So, I mean, on the one hand, he had this clemency. On the other hand, he could be really hard-nosed and hard-edged. I think he was a very calculating person.

And so hundreds are massacred there, including Cicero, the great order, is prescribed and killed. There's moments when he's really cruel. One slave once gets him angry and he has him tortured in a particularly sort of cruel manner. So, I mean, on the one hand, he had this clemency. On the other hand, he could be really hard-nosed and hard-edged. I think he was a very calculating person.

So the thing I would love to know is what he was actually like behind the mask. Yes. I mean, that to me is one of those, like, if you could invite a historical person to dinner or whatever, I want to know what the real Augustus was, what he really thought he was doing, because he's an enigma. And he has this great moment when he dies, right? What's his dying lines on his deathbed?

So the thing I would love to know is what he was actually like behind the mask. Yes. I mean, that to me is one of those, like, if you could invite a historical person to dinner or whatever, I want to know what the real Augustus was, what he really thought he was doing, because he's an enigma. And he has this great moment when he dies, right? What's his dying lines on his deathbed?

So the thing I would love to know is what he was actually like behind the mask. Yes. I mean, that to me is one of those, like, if you could invite a historical person to dinner or whatever, I want to know what the real Augustus was, what he really thought he was doing, because he's an enigma. And he has this great moment when he dies, right? What's his dying lines on his deathbed?

He says, if I've played my part well, dismiss me from the stage with applause. So he's seeing himself as an actor. that his whole life was acting this role, which is, again, all that manipulation and public image. He was brilliant at that, but who's the real guy? What was behind that image?