Octavian Augustus.

[OAugustus]

What did he do wrong?

[scorpiojo]

Duplicate

[Peter Pedant]

Try netflix - here are some good progz around - Mary Beard and so on

1) he concentrated power into the Imperial family and not the senate or other republican institutions ( very bad )
2) altho he and Livia had children they didnt have any with each other and this meant continual dynastic struggles - hundred years worth

3) over extended the empire ( not sure about that one )
4) looted Egypt and didnt take the good things out - burnt the library at Alexandria etc

erm that is about it

[sandyRoe]

He ate the grapes off the vine that had deliberately been painted with poison. Or maybe that was just Robert Grave's invention in 'I Claudius'.

[Peter Pedant]

Sandy that may not be wrong if you are in switzerland for example

I hadnt realised ( Mary beard the other night ) that Suetonius was second century - I mean I dont think he did an awful lot wrong from the point of view of 2000 y

( in that time scale - being rude to his mum or not eating his pabulum doesnt really count )

[sandyRoe]

When you're emperor, and also a god, is it possible to do anything wrong?

[Peter Pedant]

How can you be a god and mortal ?

I think it was post mortem in Augustus' case
Claudius was the first one to be worshipped as a god whilst alive ( Colchester, temple of Claudius )_

Mary beard was good on Caligula the other night - ( we found a caliga as Qasr Ibrim but she didnt give us credit )

goggle caliga qasr ibrim
go on sandy do it ! you dont have anything else to do today !

there you are you see I told you

Mary beard ( who really DOES look like a caliga ) is on the one who was trolled and said to her tormentor: can I help you get a job ?
whadda gal !

[sandyRoe]

Speaking of the Nubian desert, I wonder which would have been considered the worst posting for a legionnaire, the baking heat or Hadrian's Wall where:
The rain comes pattering out of the sky...

[Baldric]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/History/Question1441348.html

[vetuste_ennemi]

Didn't he suborn the murder of Cicero?

[sandyRoe]

If he did, and I don't doubt it for a second, then his name should live in infamy.

[jno]

ancient Rome was not a place for sissies. He did what he had to do (and I imagine quite a lot he just felt like doing).

[jno]

Cicero ordered summary executions without trial himself, so I don't suppose he had much grounds for complaint when it happened to him too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Catilinarian_conspiracy

[vetuste_ennemi]

Thanks for your correction, Divebuddy, and for your link, JNO.

[mikey4444]

Well...he married Livia, which can't have been a very good idea !

[dance2trance]

Octavius. He was the gold standard by which all Emperors judged themselves. In terms of wise and just administration that is. All found themselves wanting. As late as the 500s the Emperor Julian asked his advisors if his administration was as good as Augustus' - they said it was not and he agreed. Appalling things he did - had the children of Cleopatra by both Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony murdered after he took over. They were quite young. He went as far as divorcing his wife's son from the love of his life because he Augustus thought she was common and vulgar (ie Livia's son Tiberius and his wife) then hooked him up with a society woman who was better bred! Furious Tiberius removed himself to Crete for 7 years. Augustus made constant *** and petty comments about his family in a little black book as he went about deciding on his successor. (His conclusion was that there was no one - only he was perfect!) PS The title of 'god' in Rome was not significant - same as being a Sir/Dame today. It was just an honour. He had a violent temper and when judging in a court if in a bad mood ordered everyone to be executed (his staff accustomed to this took no notice - Lewis Carrol satirised this in 'Alice' with his 'off with their head' hysterical Queen). But in general he was witty, fun to be with, and relaxed - provided you told him he was fab first. Bit of a prima donna.