Octavian became the first Roman emperor (Caesar Augustus 27 BC – 14 AD), founder of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (27 BC – 68 AD)

 

JULIO-CLAUDIAN DYNASTY 27 BC - 68 AD

 

AUGUSTUS (27 BC – 14 AD) = LIVIA

TIBERIUS (14 – 37 AD) = Vipsania, Julia

CALIGULA (37 – 41 AD)

CLAUDIUS (41-54 AD) = Drusilla, Agrippina the Younger

NERO (54-68 AD)

 

YEAR OF THE 4 EMPERORS (68-69 AD)

 

Ancient sources: Suetonius Life of Augustus; Tacitus Annals; Velleius Paterculus; Cassius Dio, Histories; Appian, Histories of the Wars, Nicholas of Damascus, Livy

 

R. Syme, The Roman Revolution (Oxford, 1939)

 

(Useful read: Robert Graves, I, Claudius (1934))

 

C. Octavius, praetor 61 BC = Atia (niece of Julius Caesar by his sister) => C. Octavius, adopted ex testamento by C. Julius Caesar at age 18 to become:

 

C. Julius C.f. C.n. Caesar Octavianus => Octavian => Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD)

 

Octavian’s mother Atia, was the daughter of Caesar’s younger of two sisters (Julia Minor) and L. Aetius Balbus, praetor 62 BC, who was a cousin of Cn. Pompey. Through her daughter Octavia, she was also the great-grandmother of Germanicus and his brother, emperor Claudius.

 

Nov. 43 BC, M. Antony, Octavian, and M. Aemilius Lepidus were elected Tresviri rei publicae constituendae (5 years), embarked on proscriptions

 

Octavian’s nomenclature changed:

IMPERATOR JULIUS DIVI FILIUS CAESAR

 

His enemies’ opinion of him:

Peto Octavia(e) Culum (CIL 12.6721.13)

 

His general: M. Vipsanius Agrippa

 

BATTLE OF ACTIUM 31 BC, DEFEAT OF ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

 

27 BC- 14 AD - pax Romana - 200 years of peace and prosperity throughout the Roman Mediterranean world

 

THE AUGUSTAN SETTLEMENT

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

 

·        V. Garthausen, Augustus und Seiner Zeit;

 

·        T. Rice Holmes, The architect of the Roman empire. Oxford, The Clarendon press, 1928-31

 

·        Mason Hammond, The Augustan principate in theory and practice during the Julio-Claudian period.

 

·        A.H. M. Jones, Augustus, NY 1971

 

·        R. Syme, The Roman Revolution, Oxford 1939

 

·        David Shotter, Augustus Caesar, London ; New York : Routledge, 1991

 

Power sharing relationship 27 BC -14 AD

 

Augustus, Princeps first citizen of Rome; ten year grants of proconsular imperium; 5 year grants of tribunician power, sacrosanctitas

 

PRINCIPATE (princeps – first citizen of Rome)

 

Princeps, first citizen

Ø tribunician power for life (assumed in 23 BC, revealed and legalized his position as unique)

Ø 10 year grants of proconsular imperium, for all military provinces.

 

Augustus = well augured

 

Consulship 28-23 BC (assassination plot, Octavian abstains from holding consulships); suffect consuls, 4 consuls elected annually to enter a pool of senators eligible for military commands; must wait 5 years before eligible for appointments;

 

It was agreed by the Senate that Augustus’ imperium would not lapse when he entered the city. And that he retained consular privileges, including seating between the active consuls, lictors, and authority to convene the senate.

 

Pompey the Great commanded the provinces of Spain in 55 BC through legati => imperial legates

 

Provinces 14 AD, legati pro praetore, indefinite appointments; the Princeps enjoyed proconsular imperium, with maius imperium when required.

 

Consular provinces (multiple legions, governed by legati pro praetore), Dalmatia, Lower Germany, Upper Germany , Moesia, Pannonia, Syria, Spain Tarraconensis

 

Praetorian Provs (generally one legion, governed by legati legionis): Aquitania, Belgica, Galatia, Gallia Lugdunensis, Lusitania, Pamphylia

                  

Equestrian provinces (prefects), the Maritime Alps, Judaea, Noricum, Rhaetia, Sardinia-Corsica

 

SENATORIAL PROVINCES: Achaea, Africa, Asia, Baetica, Bithynia, Crete-Cyrene, Cyrpus, Gallia Narbonensis, Macedona, Sicily

 

Imperial procurators KEPT TABS ON GOVERNORS– rise of imperial freedmen,

 

Italy (including Cisalpine Gaul) had a population of ca. 10 million, 474 municipalities

 

Estimated 300,000 soldiers (60 legions) in 30 BC, he reduced this to 28 legions and settled 100,000 veterans in colonies in Spain, Carthage, Parium, Beirut with full bonuses, paid for by funding from Egypt.

 

Imperium sine fine – in general life in the provinces improved. There was a more orderly administration, especially under Tibeerius. The standards of governors improved, due to the prolonged cursus honorum. Staffs and assistants improved and evolved into a regular civil service.

 

Census of 86 BC – 480,000; 70 BC – 900,000; 23 BC – 5,000,000

 

 

SENATE

CONSILIUM

PRINCEPS

FISCUS

AMICI

Tribunal,

Senatorial elections,

 

Imperial legates dispatched to Imperial provinces

(legati propraetore)

Prefects (equestrian offices appointed by the princes)

 

Private “estate” of the imperial family, including Egypt

Kitchen cabinet, private council consulted by the Princeps at his leisure

Senatorial Provinces (proconsuls)

Curators:

Public works

Waterworks

Tiber flooding

Annonae

Roads

Urban Prefect

Praetorian Pref.

Praef. Annonae

Pref. of the Fleet

Pref. of Traffic

Military prefects

Administered by procurators (imperial freedmen)

(Maecenas)

Aerarium Saturni

(State Treasury)

Treasury:

Aerarium Saturni (2 praetors)

Aerarium militare (3 ex praetors)

 

 

 

 

 

Consilium, standing committee of Senators to prepare business for the entire house, one from each board of magistrates, 15 senators in all, chosen by lot, 6 mo. Rotation.

 

Treasury, Aerarium Saturni, revenues of all provinces, 2 praetors in charge, Little money actually came to Rome, most remained in the  fisci of the individual provinces. Few provinces produced surpluses over local expenses. In fact, the Aerarium often fell into financial difficulty, requiring Augustus to expend funds from his private patrimony or fiscus (literally basket in which bankers kept their  money, but came to mean treasury)

 

Aerarium militare, 3 ex praetors, 1% sales tax, 5% inheritance tax

 

Imperial fiscus, Egypt, procurators, freedmen. The fiscus was the Emperor’s  private accounts. Under Claudius this was centralized into one fiscus managed by imperial freedmen. Funds arose from conquest (spoils of war), the Emperor’s private income (property, including Egypt) and inherited estates, known as the patrimonium Caesaris. Had to be kept separate from public accounts. Apart from war and diplomacy the Roman government’s basic concern  was to  supply and  finance the military, the bureaucracy, and the  court. Beyond feeding the Roman people (city of Rome, panem et circensis), which was a regular commitment, the government committed itself to expendigure on public buildings and amenities for the capital city and the periodic furnishing of material aid to communities in times of  crisis. These limited financial ends were achieved without recourse to financial exactions. The state did not seek to exercise control over the production and distribution of goods.

 

Libertus ab epistulis, a rationibus, a libellis, a cognitionibus, a studiis

 

Conversion of the Equestrian Order into a formal Civil Service

 

Equites of the Republic, relatives of Roman senators, 400,000 HS, 10 years of military service, good character. Commands would extend from prefect of the auxilia or military tribunes, then to procurators (who were governors of less important provinces (Pontius Pilate in Judea), then to Prefects – of the fleet, the Vigiles, the Annona, Egypt, or the Praetorian Guard.

 

1800 Knights in the 18 centuries,

 

Vigiles Stationes

 

Tribunician power enabled Emperor to hear cases on appeal

 

Roman Law: Corpus Iuris Civilis, Digest, A. Watson

 

Imperial Succession made easier by conferment of tribunician potestas to his successor. This would clearly designate someone as his successor, far better than marriage arrangements or premature magisterial appointments. When Augustus died in 14 AD he was 13 times consul, 21 times imperator, and had enjoyed 37 years of tribunician potestas.