The Princeps
Remember to look below at your glossary and list of terms!
Octavianus nunc erat solus dux Romae. Sed ille sapientissimus erat, itaque negavit se appellari regem. Dixit se esse solum primum inter aequos, et se appellavit "princeps." Re vera, autem, erat imperator magnus et non erit res publica in Roma iterum.
Eo imperatore, Templum Ianum Quirinum, semel clausum cum rex Numa Pompilius esset, et iterum ante memoriam, ter clausit. Haec Pax Romana condita ab Octaviano continuavit ducentum annos.
Usus est pecuniam ut aedificaret nova aedificia marmoris et faciat antiqua aedificia melius. Vere dixit, cum rexisset longe et moriturus erat, se invenisse Romam urbem lateris et reliquisse eam urbem marmoris.
Uxor eius, Livia, femina fortissima erat. Dictum est ubique in Roma Liviam occidere paucos heredes Octaviani ut filius suus, Tiberius, possit succedere principem. Sed numquam vulneravit Octavianum, sed quis potest dicere - illum amaret.
Ob res ab eo aut per legatos suos gestas quinquagiens et quinquiens, decrevit senatus dare sacrificia dis immortalibus. Consul fuerat terdeciens cum mortuus est, et datus est septem et triginta occasiones tribuniciae potestatem.
Octavianus tam clarus sapiensque dux ut senatus deferet illi cognomen honestum. Hinc, vocatus est "Augustus." Hodie, continuamus appellare illum eo nomine, et quoque cognoscimus illum fuisse primum imperatorem.
Augustus continued the practice Caesar had pioneered of putting his own image on coins.
Augustus appears here as a symbol of pietas, with his head covered in the style of a priest.
Livia was an exceptionally powerful woman for her time, and was often suspected of controlling more than she should have from behind the scenes.
Augustus continued the practice Caesar had pioneered of putting his own image on coins.
Vocabulary:
aequus - equal
princeps - chief
semel - once
imperator - emperor (in this text, not general)
Ianus Quirinus - Janus
utor, uti, usus sum - use
claudo, claudere, clausi, clausus - to close
ter - three times
ducentum - 200
later - brick
marmor - marble
ubique - everywhere
succedere - succeed
quinquagiens et quinquiens - 55
terdeciens - 13 times
tribunus - a tribune (political office representing plebeians)
occasiones - times, occasions
continuo - continue
defero - confer upon, bestow
Names and Terms in this Passage:
Octavianus - Octavian, Caesar's adopted son, surviving member of the 2nd Triumvirate
princeps - a chief, used to describe someone who was the best at something or led a group of people. He might have chosen this title because it previously designated the most senior senator, so it sounded very non-threatening and pro-republic (very far from calling himself king, intentionally).
Numa Pompilius - 2nd king of Rome, 715-673 BC
Templum Ianum Quirinum - the temple of Janus. Its doors were shut when Rome was completely at peace.
Pax Romana - translate literally, but this is still the name of a 100 year period of relative peace in Rome
Livia Drusilla, aka Julia Augusta - wife of Octavian, previously married to Tiberius Claudius Nero
Tiberius - son of Livia and her former husband, will become Octavian's successor
Augustus - a ceremonially bestowed cognomen for Octavian. He is called this after 27 BC, when we consider his reign to have begun. It carries a religious weight of awe, it might be translated as "the illustrious one," but Augustus is fine for us.
Is this story true?
Yes! The information in this translation is based on well documented and corroborated histories and memoirs told by the Romans themselves, including Augustus' own autobiography, the Res Gestae. For context, the Battle of Actium, in which Octavian defeated Antony, took place in 31 BC. Augustus' rule as emperor (or "princeps") takes place between 27 BC and AD 14.
Notice that several years elapsed between his victory and the true start of his rule; this time was spent consolidating his control and gradually convincing the senate and people to accept that he was not a threat. He reestablished free elections, worked to repair the economy, dealt with food shortages and famine, and built his reputation as a moral, benign leader. He was a dictator in all but name at this time (supposedly he was just a consul with his friend Marcus Agrippa).
In 27 BC, he "gave back" power to the senate, declaring Rome fixed, but the senate predictably handed it right back to him through a variety of appointments and titles that gave Augustus full control. Although the senate continued to exist, it was barely more than an advisory body, and we mark this point as the beginning of the Roman Empire.
Some other key traits of empires come to pass under Augustus' rule as well, transforming Rome: territory is expanded, most notably in Egypt; through spoils of war, he poured massive amounts of money back into Rome; he built or reconstructed numerous buildings, transforming the previously humble-looking Rome into the marble majesty we think of today; he eliminated piracy in the Mediterranean (at least temporarily); established new Roman colonies all around Europe; and established contact and trade with numerous other ancient nations, even as far away as India.
Your 3 Tasks:
First, make sure that you have read the story completely, listened to all the audio, and followed the available links to help you understand the text. I encourage you to re-read it one more time after looking at all your resources. Then:
1. Take the reading quiz at this link. 22 graded questions, ONE ATTEMPT. Please do this on your own without consulting friends. Don't worry, you've got this!
2. Challenge a friend to this game based on the text. Post the name of the winner in the comments below (it may not be visible to you after you post, but I can still see it).
3. When all your other tasks are complete review our full vocabulary list here.