10 Greatest Achievements of Augustus, the First Roman Emperor

Other interesting facts about Caesar Augustus

• He adopted the two sons of his daughter Julia the Elder and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa – Lucius Caesar (20 BCE – 1 CE) and Gaius Caesar (17 BCE – 2 CE). The deaths of both men forced Augustus to adopt his stepson Tiberius and his grandson Marcus Agrippa Postmus (or Agrippa Julius Caesar) as his successors. The death of the latter in the same year as Augustus’ meant that his stepson Tiberius’ path to the throne was made very smooth.
• Although it was prophesied that Octavian was destined for a great future, his childhood was anything but smooth flowing as he was very sickly and fragile in the first decade of his life. Beginning in his early teens, he made a startling recovery and thereafter went on to become an astute politician and military commander.
• When Octavian was just four years old his father Gaius Octavius died. His mother Atia remarried a man called Lucius Marcius Philippus, a former governor of Syria. He spent a great amount of his childhood being raised by his paternal grandmother, Julia the Younger, who was also the sister of Julius Caesar. Sadly, Julia died in 52 BCE, meaning Octavius went back into the care of his mother and his stepfather.
• He grew up in a very turbulent period of the Roman Republic as different factions locked horns in a quest to control the republic. One of those factions was headed by Octavian’s paternal great-uncle, Julius Caesar.
• His daughter Julia’s (Julia the Elder) public promiscuity was in sharp contrast to his deeply conservative morals. He was left with no choice than to banish her.
• After steering the Roman Empire for decades, Augustus passed away in 14 CE. Like his great-uncle before him, Augustus was declared a god by the Roman Senate.
• The month of August is named after Emperor Augustus. Prior to that it was called Sextilis.
• For his establishment of Roman Italy in 7 BCE, he has been described as the “Father of Italy” by some historians.
• Augustus Caesar died in 14 CE, aged 75. He most likely died from natural causes. However, rumors swelled for quite some time that his third wife Livia was responsible for his death. It was alleged that she poisoned Augustus.

Other major achievements of Augustus

Accomplishments of Augustus | Emperor Augustus’ statue

• Roman Emperor Augustus used client states to protect Rome’s borders with the Parthian Empire
• Had astute diplomatic prowess that allowed him to make peace with the Parthian Empire.
• Introduced a host of economic reforms, particularly tax reforms that proved very beneficial in increasing Rome’s revenue from direct and indirect taxes.
• Used the monies from Egypt – productive agricultural land – to pay public works and military expeditions
• In 27 BCE, he created the Praetorian Guard (the Imperial Guards that protected Roman Emperors), police and fire-fighting services.
• Emperor Augustus’ reign reignited the Rome’s interests in religious rituals as well their reverence of Roman gods. Upon his death, he was deified.