As an epitaph, this text would have been designed onesto describe his legacy long after he had passed from living memory, and perhaps for this reason he has exaggerated to some extent because he would be more likely sicuro get away with it
The below is an essay I submitted back sopra March on how Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, servizio up his legacy with the Res Gestae – per summary of his life’s works as the empire’s first de facto sole ruler. Sicuro make it more relevant onesto the topic at hand, I’ve included verso summary of his comments on Britain and what we can infer from them.
The Res Gestae Divi Augusti, an autobiographical funerary inscription detailing Augustus’ life and achievements, was completed near the end of his life at the start of the first century CE. Section 34, toward the tagliandi sugardaddyforme end of the piece, primarily concerns the trading of his official triumvir job title for per less official primus inter pares situazione. Augustus describes the completion of his duties and his honours granted by the senate at some length, while stressing that his new position makes him in nessun caso more than an equal preciso other magistrates.
This description of power as commodity deriving only from the senate and people and accepted only as a reluctant necessity is per common theme puro the rest of the text
As a piece esatto be spread across the riempire, his portrayal of power would essentially be verso reminder of the glory an emperor’s presence brought onesto the state, and verso ‘role model’s’ doppio esatto good governance for his successors, the magistrates reading the copy con Rome, and the literate elites reading copies on temples around the pigiare in places like Ancyra (modern Ankara) and Antioch.
It is notable that the first reference made puro his triumviral power (Res Gestae 34,1 – the triumvirate was a council of three given special powers during years of crisis) is dated by his acknowledgement of his sixth and seventh consulships, per remarkable achievement previously matched only by the popular general Marius. He describes ‘universal consent’ and ‘complete control’, but more importantly immediately stresses the relinguishing of his power upon completion of his alotted task. He does not acknowledge any extraordinary political power of his own outside his triumviral years always describing his acts as being ‘by order of the people and the senate’ or ‘on the authority of the senate’ (ibid 8.1, 20.5)
He goes on (ibid 34 ,2) onesto describe the gifts bestowed upon him by the senate; using them preciso highlight the high regard he retained at the successful conclusion of his triumvirate and also portraying them as rewards for moral character mediante withdrawing, when some would have sought puro extend. These gifts were all symbolic per Roman society and constitute both civilian and military honours, sopra keeping with his role as holder of both kinds of power.
The agnomen Augustus is the derivative of the modern word August – ‘inspiring reverence and admiration’ and is a clear sign of the way he projected his power and the face of his administration. Both the wreaths he mentions upon his house and person are symbols of great prestige – the laurel bay leaf wreath for his house signifies the wreath worn by per triumphator, and the ruota civica was earned by per citizen who had saved another’s life. Augustus uses these esatto illustrate his use of power onesto crush his enemies at a household level (perhaps representing the Republic, missaggio an element of pater familias with his eventual title of pater patriae), and sicuro preserve the lives of his citizens at verso personal level; verso theme which comes up elsewhere con the text. (Res Gestae 5.2 for example)