Pushkin Museum
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While I was looking at statues in the Pushkin Museum I found my favorite section – Rome. There were a big variety of art, tools and statues in that section but I decided to take something interesting and famous at the same time. Thats how I found a statue of Augustus of Prima Porta. But first I would like to write a biography of the 1st Roman emperor.
Augustus (or Imperator Caesar Divi F. Augustus) (23 September 63 BC – 19 August 14 AD) is the first Roman emperor since 27 BC and Gaius Julius Caesars grand-nephew. After Julius death in 44 BC Octavian (the original name of Augustus) was looking for revenge and didnt want to use Roman bureaucracy to satisfy his needs, he relied only to the Juliuss veterans and soldiers.
After strong arguments with Mark Antony who was a consul at that time, Augustus joined Roman Senate and started the Mutina war against Mark in 43 BC. After the victory in battle of Mutina Octavian didnt get any respect or improvements in his career in the Senate. Which led to reunion of Octavian and Mark and final revenge in 42 BC in Macedonia where both of the Juliuss killers (Brutus and Cassius) died. Unfortunately Mark betrayed Octavian again and started expending his authority among the Republic of Rome. These civil wars ended only in 31 BC after Mark and Cleopatras death. Octavian got the power in his hands. In January 27 BC he claimed that he is no longer interested in politics and wants to live a normal life but as it always happens Octavian couldnt “resist” from senators proposal to be the leader and get the supreme authority. From that point he was no longer Octavian but Augustus.
Mark Antony
Strangely enough during the first years of Augustuss power he didnt influence the basic values of the Republic. He was elected all the time by the senators and people which shows us that he wasnt a Tiran at all. But after some point the political system slowly changed from republic to monarchy. Augustus was a wise diplomat and clever politic, he knew that Romans were tired from all the civil wars they had, so his goal was to restore fathers order ans peace (so called Pax Romana). Augustus did everything to save prestige of the Senate but with lowering its political power in parallel. The army was a base of Augustuss power, especially the Praetorians. He gave “bread and circuses” to people and they were very happy with that. Slavery became stronger and very clever reforms made the regions interested to be a part of Roman Empire (by tax cuts, strong trade, protection and local administrating).