Mary Beard
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Because Octavius, or Octavian as he's sometimes called, that was a name embedded in the Civil War after the death of Julius Caesar.
He chooses an invented name.
It's a complete rebrand.
And Augustus is a pretty North Korean style title.
You know, it means revered one.
So he's putting himself out there after having been a bit of a thug, honestly.
He's putting himself out there as revered elder statesman.
He's building himself into the city of Rome.
He's investing huge amounts of money in Rome.
new forums in statues.
He invests in a royal family in a way.
For the first time, women and heirs are part of the whole deal of the PR of an elite Roman.
He probably gets lucky.
I mean, I think he is the longest-serving emperor ever.
And he's always, it seems, making a kind of bit of a big deal, a bit of a hypochondriac, I think.
He's always saying, oh, I might die any minute.
He defeats Antony and Cleopatra and comes back to Rome in 31 BCE.
He lasts more than 40 more years.