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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
I read Everitt's [b:biography of Cicero|84593|Cicero The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician|Anthony Everitt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320502320l/84593._SY75_.jpg|81654] a few years ago and I was very much impressed. That history chronicled the last years of the Roman Republic, up to the assassination of Julius Caesar and the bloody fallout that followed, in which Cicero was killed.
The order to kill Cicero was agreed on by Mark Antony and Octavian, a young teenager who had appeared quite suddenly on the scene with extraordinary political clout. This book tells the story of Octavian, who went on to become the first Emperor of Rome, so it is in effect the sequel biography.
It is every bit as engaging as its precursor, and brings the political world of its protagonists vibrantly to life. The book is as good as it is not only because Everitt is a talented storyteller, but also because of his approach, which he delineates in the introduction - to present events as they happened and appeared to the people living through them, without letting on that he knows what happens next. So with each event that is narrated he provides an analysis of the motivations and options available to all the major players, like you might find in a current affairs opinion piece.
Octavian was a sickly child - the nature of his recurring illness is never specified but he was not active or athletic, and spent much of his childhood at home being cared for by his doting mother, who was Julius Caesar’s niece. He showed political aptitude early on, however, and Caesar ultimately ended up adopting him posthumously, giving Octavian a massive bestowal, in the form both of wealth and the loyalty of Caesar’s legions, should he choose to accept. It is interesting that a posthumously adopted son was considered a more legitimate heir than Caesar’s actual illegitimate son by Cleopatra, but the dynamic between Egypt and Rome meant that an Egyptian would never be welcomed as a Roman leader. Octavian was faced with a huge choice that he hardly felt he could handle. He would have to take charge of legions of Roman soldiers without ever having had any real battle experience. But he decided to take the plunge, taking perhaps one of the more significant decisions in world history, and stepped out from his mother’s protective mantle to become a leading figurehead of the Caesarian political faction.
What he lacked in military experience he made up for with political astuteness, and marshalled his good friend Agrippa to organise the military side of things, while listening to advice from experienced politicos who supported Caesar. In some ways it is remarkable that Agrippa, who wielded the real power as de facto head of the Caesarian legions, did not supplant Octavian as the natural successor, a fact that can probably be attributed both to the strength of their friendship and Octavian swiftly cementing his position within the wider political sphere. Indeed, as events unfolded and Octavian formed a governing triumvirate with Mark Antony and Lepidus to end the civil war, Octavian was very much a junior figure next to the experienced general Mark Antony.
As the years passed and the triumvirate deal was renewed on successive occasions, Octavian shrewdly positioned himself to negotiate more favourable agreements for himself. Ultimately, Mark Antony took charge of the legions in the east, preparing for battles to expand the sphere of Roman influence and create new provinces. His long absence from Rome allowed Octavian to develop his influence in the western provinces, through Spain, Gaul and Italy, and stymieing Antony’s ability to operate effectively in the capital. Antony ultimately settled with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra in Alexandria, giving Octavian plenty of material for propaganda to turn people against him, and things all came to a head in a sea battle in which Antony abandoned his fleets after a confusing denouement which saw both him and Cleopatra escape from a naval blockade.
Octavian promptly conquered Alexandria while Antony killed himself and Cleopatra also died (whether by her own hand or by Octavian’s arrangement is not clear), leaving Octavian as the number one citizen in Rome.
Upon his return the senate lavished honours on him repeatedly, of which he astutely accepted various selections, until he was given the Imperium Maius, making him the first Roman Emperor. Interestingly, this was a renewable honour, re-approved every ten years by the Senate, and at times shared by Agrippa, before his death, and latterly, Tiberius, who succeeded Octavian, now named Augustus.
Everitt portrays his protagonist in a very human way, inviting empathy, but even still it is hard to warm to Octavian, who was really a frightfully ruthless person. He was merciless when dealing with those who opposed him, and wielded his power ungraciously, ordering the deaths or suicides of anyone who crossed his path. He was not particularly unique in this respect - Antony quashed a mutiny in his troops by randomly selecting one in ten mutineers to be bludgeoned to death by the others. The attitude to death was quite different then than now, perhaps because there was no public prison service for rehabilitation of offenders, so death was meted out liberally. There was also a stoical honour code that would compel people to commit suicide rather than face shame, exemplified by Cato the Younger, who killed himself rather than allow his opponent Julius Caesar to pardon him, and practiced by entire armies when they could see that a battle was lost.
The attitude to death aside, there is really not that much different in the nature of humans and politics two thousand years later. Anyone who has followed the past few years of the Trump era, Brexit, and a global pandemic that stalled economies and restricted civilian freedoms in a way that would not have been credited two years ago can attest to the outsized effect unpredictable outcomes can have on the world. The teenage Octavian’s meteoric rise can’t be dismissed as a feature of a primitive society - Ancient Rome was remarkably sophisticated, built on centuries of experience in creating a stable society, with abundant checks and balances. A stable system of governance is only stable until it’s not. Democracy was not eradicated in Rome, but it morphed into something that enabled Augustus to wield unprecedented power. Given the right circumstances, the same story could play out again today, and people would align themselves as political expedient demands. It is this realisation that makes these historical biographies so fascinating - there is so much we can learn from the characters and situations of the past that is acutely applicable to the world today.
The order to kill Cicero was agreed on by Mark Antony and Octavian, a young teenager who had appeared quite suddenly on the scene with extraordinary political clout. This book tells the story of Octavian, who went on to become the first Emperor of Rome, so it is in effect the sequel biography.
It is every bit as engaging as its precursor, and brings the political world of its protagonists vibrantly to life. The book is as good as it is not only because Everitt is a talented storyteller, but also because of his approach, which he delineates in the introduction - to present events as they happened and appeared to the people living through them, without letting on that he knows what happens next. So with each event that is narrated he provides an analysis of the motivations and options available to all the major players, like you might find in a current affairs opinion piece.
Octavian was a sickly child - the nature of his recurring illness is never specified but he was not active or athletic, and spent much of his childhood at home being cared for by his doting mother, who was Julius Caesar’s niece. He showed political aptitude early on, however, and Caesar ultimately ended up adopting him posthumously, giving Octavian a massive bestowal, in the form both of wealth and the loyalty of Caesar’s legions, should he choose to accept. It is interesting that a posthumously adopted son was considered a more legitimate heir than Caesar’s actual illegitimate son by Cleopatra, but the dynamic between Egypt and Rome meant that an Egyptian would never be welcomed as a Roman leader. Octavian was faced with a huge choice that he hardly felt he could handle. He would have to take charge of legions of Roman soldiers without ever having had any real battle experience. But he decided to take the plunge, taking perhaps one of the more significant decisions in world history, and stepped out from his mother’s protective mantle to become a leading figurehead of the Caesarian political faction.
What he lacked in military experience he made up for with political astuteness, and marshalled his good friend Agrippa to organise the military side of things, while listening to advice from experienced politicos who supported Caesar. In some ways it is remarkable that Agrippa, who wielded the real power as de facto head of the Caesarian legions, did not supplant Octavian as the natural successor, a fact that can probably be attributed both to the strength of their friendship and Octavian swiftly cementing his position within the wider political sphere. Indeed, as events unfolded and Octavian formed a governing triumvirate with Mark Antony and Lepidus to end the civil war, Octavian was very much a junior figure next to the experienced general Mark Antony.
As the years passed and the triumvirate deal was renewed on successive occasions, Octavian shrewdly positioned himself to negotiate more favourable agreements for himself. Ultimately, Mark Antony took charge of the legions in the east, preparing for battles to expand the sphere of Roman influence and create new provinces. His long absence from Rome allowed Octavian to develop his influence in the western provinces, through Spain, Gaul and Italy, and stymieing Antony’s ability to operate effectively in the capital. Antony ultimately settled with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra in Alexandria, giving Octavian plenty of material for propaganda to turn people against him, and things all came to a head in a sea battle in which Antony abandoned his fleets after a confusing denouement which saw both him and Cleopatra escape from a naval blockade.
Octavian promptly conquered Alexandria while Antony killed himself and Cleopatra also died (whether by her own hand or by Octavian’s arrangement is not clear), leaving Octavian as the number one citizen in Rome.
Upon his return the senate lavished honours on him repeatedly, of which he astutely accepted various selections, until he was given the Imperium Maius, making him the first Roman Emperor. Interestingly, this was a renewable honour, re-approved every ten years by the Senate, and at times shared by Agrippa, before his death, and latterly, Tiberius, who succeeded Octavian, now named Augustus.
Everitt portrays his protagonist in a very human way, inviting empathy, but even still it is hard to warm to Octavian, who was really a frightfully ruthless person. He was merciless when dealing with those who opposed him, and wielded his power ungraciously, ordering the deaths or suicides of anyone who crossed his path. He was not particularly unique in this respect - Antony quashed a mutiny in his troops by randomly selecting one in ten mutineers to be bludgeoned to death by the others. The attitude to death was quite different then than now, perhaps because there was no public prison service for rehabilitation of offenders, so death was meted out liberally. There was also a stoical honour code that would compel people to commit suicide rather than face shame, exemplified by Cato the Younger, who killed himself rather than allow his opponent Julius Caesar to pardon him, and practiced by entire armies when they could see that a battle was lost.
The attitude to death aside, there is really not that much different in the nature of humans and politics two thousand years later. Anyone who has followed the past few years of the Trump era, Brexit, and a global pandemic that stalled economies and restricted civilian freedoms in a way that would not have been credited two years ago can attest to the outsized effect unpredictable outcomes can have on the world. The teenage Octavian’s meteoric rise can’t be dismissed as a feature of a primitive society - Ancient Rome was remarkably sophisticated, built on centuries of experience in creating a stable society, with abundant checks and balances. A stable system of governance is only stable until it’s not. Democracy was not eradicated in Rome, but it morphed into something that enabled Augustus to wield unprecedented power. Given the right circumstances, the same story could play out again today, and people would align themselves as political expedient demands. It is this realisation that makes these historical biographies so fascinating - there is so much we can learn from the characters and situations of the past that is acutely applicable to the world today.
Engrossing story of Augustus. I didn't know much about him other than that he was the first emperor since pop culture looks more to Julius Caesar than to anyone else in Roman history. It was a fascinating tale and corrected the many misconceptions produced by the HBO show Rome.
For anybody interested in the History of Rome, Mike Duncan's podcast gives a wonderful overview. For a more detailed look at a particular battle, emperor, figure, etc., further reading is necessary.
A common cliche is that a given figure is complicated. Augustus, is in fact, complicated. Adopted by Julius Caesar, head of (several) revolts, credited for putting Rome on firm footing, and died just after orchestrating his dynasty, he deserves much of the accolades he is given.
Everitt gives a detailed look into what we know about Augustus and is parsimonious about not letting too much fiction get in the way of history. Very readable and also dense, any fan of ancient Rome would appreciate his take on the Princeps.
A common cliche is that a given figure is complicated. Augustus, is in fact, complicated. Adopted by Julius Caesar, head of (several) revolts, credited for putting Rome on firm footing, and died just after orchestrating his dynasty, he deserves much of the accolades he is given.
Everitt gives a detailed look into what we know about Augustus and is parsimonious about not letting too much fiction get in the way of history. Very readable and also dense, any fan of ancient Rome would appreciate his take on the Princeps.
Anthony Everitt's "Augustus" is a solid biography on one of history's most influential people. Augustus, born Gaius Octavius September 23, in 63 BC, lived to the ripe old age of 77 and ruled the Roman Empire for almost 45 years...both staggering amounts of time considering the average lifespan 2000 years ago and the average lifespan of Roman politician.
He is arguably one of the most impactful individuals ever to roam the earth. His existence intersected Julius Caesar (his grand-uncle and adopted father), Marc Antony (primary competitor for the Roman throne), Cleopatra (Antony's lover, and co-competitor for Roman throne), Jesus Christ (born during his reign), the Battle of Teutoberg Forest (key moment in empire's expansion), end of The Republic (initiated by Julius Caesar, completed by Augustus himself).
Everitt provides peeks into Augustus' life at all stages and ages. Some of the views are limited, thin or highly speculative as necessitated by the sources at Everitt's disposal. As he does in his biography of another engimatic Roman leader, "Hadrian", Everitt speculates and analyzes multiple sources when inconsistencies arise. Much time is spent laying out the political atmosphere, and complex interrelationships that provide the context and backdrop for this incredibly intense period of history.
What's enjoyable about Everitt is his narrative approach to the biography. Many elements of Augustus' life are highlighted with vignettes and stories. I particularly enjoyed his chapter on the day in the life of the Emperor, cobbled together from specific and non-specific references. The chapters on his adopted father's rise and downfall are fascinating as well, though it's difficult to keep up with the names of people, places and battles. It's particularly frustrating keeping track of individuals with similar names (there were two different "Brutuses" involved in Caesar's murder, for example). Everitt does his best to reminding the reader of re-introduced characters.
The book spends much time on the second civil war pitting Augustus against Marc Antony. For me, this was the first indepth study I’d read and I found the author’s approach very readable.
"Augustus" is similar to Everitt's "Hadrian" in that one comes away unable to fully reconcile what kind of man Augustus was. How did the younger Octavian go from a sickly and almost accidental high stakes political player, to the self assured rebuilder of the Roman world? Everitt writes that he was "devious, untrustworthy, and bloodthirsty. But once he established his authority, he governed efficiently and justly, generally allowed freedom of speech, and promoted the rule of the law." Family was important - he and Livia were together for 50 years - but when his limits were tested, he reacted severely. In his later years, Augustus' daughter Julia was shut out of his life and exiled for the remainder of hers. His grandson Agrippa Postumus, while the only remaining successor by blood, was also banished.
Everitt points to Augustus' political reforms as some of his most courageous feats even though some took tweaking over time to get right, and some never stuck at all. He attempted to reset moral perspectives of the Roman elite. He instituted a governmental bureaucracy (Augustus-aucracy?) that paved the way for governmental growth (and, oddly enough, greater efficiencies).
I couldn't help but reflect on Robert Grave's fictional version of the life of Augustus and Livia in his "I, Claudius". While contemporary and near contemporary accounts suggest that Livia was deeply involved in her husband's political world, it would appear that Graves may have overstated her involvement in just about every important death during Augustus' reign.
The book is fact-filled, well written, highly notated and comes with several maps, photos and drawings, and a list of suggested reading. The writing is strong, but, by its nature is dense and, as I've mentioned, sometimes hard to follow.
For those interested in a very readable biography of Augustus, but also a anthropological study of the time in which he lived, then I'd highly recommend this book.
He is arguably one of the most impactful individuals ever to roam the earth. His existence intersected Julius Caesar (his grand-uncle and adopted father), Marc Antony (primary competitor for the Roman throne), Cleopatra (Antony's lover, and co-competitor for Roman throne), Jesus Christ (born during his reign), the Battle of Teutoberg Forest (key moment in empire's expansion), end of The Republic (initiated by Julius Caesar, completed by Augustus himself).
Everitt provides peeks into Augustus' life at all stages and ages. Some of the views are limited, thin or highly speculative as necessitated by the sources at Everitt's disposal. As he does in his biography of another engimatic Roman leader, "Hadrian", Everitt speculates and analyzes multiple sources when inconsistencies arise. Much time is spent laying out the political atmosphere, and complex interrelationships that provide the context and backdrop for this incredibly intense period of history.
What's enjoyable about Everitt is his narrative approach to the biography. Many elements of Augustus' life are highlighted with vignettes and stories. I particularly enjoyed his chapter on the day in the life of the Emperor, cobbled together from specific and non-specific references. The chapters on his adopted father's rise and downfall are fascinating as well, though it's difficult to keep up with the names of people, places and battles. It's particularly frustrating keeping track of individuals with similar names (there were two different "Brutuses" involved in Caesar's murder, for example). Everitt does his best to reminding the reader of re-introduced characters.
The book spends much time on the second civil war pitting Augustus against Marc Antony. For me, this was the first indepth study I’d read and I found the author’s approach very readable.
"Augustus" is similar to Everitt's "Hadrian" in that one comes away unable to fully reconcile what kind of man Augustus was. How did the younger Octavian go from a sickly and almost accidental high stakes political player, to the self assured rebuilder of the Roman world? Everitt writes that he was "devious, untrustworthy, and bloodthirsty. But once he established his authority, he governed efficiently and justly, generally allowed freedom of speech, and promoted the rule of the law." Family was important - he and Livia were together for 50 years - but when his limits were tested, he reacted severely. In his later years, Augustus' daughter Julia was shut out of his life and exiled for the remainder of hers. His grandson Agrippa Postumus, while the only remaining successor by blood, was also banished.
Everitt points to Augustus' political reforms as some of his most courageous feats even though some took tweaking over time to get right, and some never stuck at all. He attempted to reset moral perspectives of the Roman elite. He instituted a governmental bureaucracy (Augustus-aucracy?) that paved the way for governmental growth (and, oddly enough, greater efficiencies).
I couldn't help but reflect on Robert Grave's fictional version of the life of Augustus and Livia in his "I, Claudius". While contemporary and near contemporary accounts suggest that Livia was deeply involved in her husband's political world, it would appear that Graves may have overstated her involvement in just about every important death during Augustus' reign.
The book is fact-filled, well written, highly notated and comes with several maps, photos and drawings, and a list of suggested reading. The writing is strong, but, by its nature is dense and, as I've mentioned, sometimes hard to follow.
For those interested in a very readable biography of Augustus, but also a anthropological study of the time in which he lived, then I'd highly recommend this book.
En su estilo el autor pareciera imitar a un funcionario público. A lo largo de todo el libro Everitt trasmite sus ideas y narra las peripecias de la vida de Augusto como si estuviera escribiendo un fatigoso informe administrativo, de una manera burocrática. No teniendo a mano el original en inglés, sospecho que el libro fue escrito a las apuradas.
En lo que se refiere al contenido, promediando el libro uno puede encontrar en cierta página la sorpresiva teoría de que Catón el Joven fue ejecutado personalmente por Julio César.
En lo que se refiere al contenido, promediando el libro uno puede encontrar en cierta página la sorpresiva teoría de que Catón el Joven fue ejecutado personalmente por Julio César.
Don't really dig Ancient Rome as much as I should but I love how sympathetic Everitt is to his characters and the care he takes in writing about them.
Really enjoyed this book, especially after having read Cicero so recently. I think I'm gonna finish off Everitt's 'Trilogy' with his book on Hadrian to round this out.
Augustus is such an interesting character. The book does suffer a bit in the lack of sources for some of the content, so parts of his character remain enigmatic. But Everitt does a great job of telling the story in an engaging, easy to read way. Overall a good introduction to the man.
One of my favorite elements was how he also takes time to describe the Ancient Roman world. Sometimes the world seems so modern and at others so foreign.
Augustus is such an interesting character. The book does suffer a bit in the lack of sources for some of the content, so parts of his character remain enigmatic. But Everitt does a great job of telling the story in an engaging, easy to read way. Overall a good introduction to the man.
One of my favorite elements was how he also takes time to describe the Ancient Roman world. Sometimes the world seems so modern and at others so foreign.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Anthony Everitt's biography of Gaius Octavian Augustus tells the story of his rise through Roman society by taking us through the major phases of his life, from his provincial childhood to his adoption by his great-uncle Julius Caesar. The multi-dimensional personality of Augustus, his genius as an administrator and planner and his not so brave time in the battlefield is well depicted. We witness his many marriages and friendships which helped him in becoming the most powerful man in Rome. The power struggle with Mark Antony and the invasion of Egypt almost reads like a thriller. The war ended with Augustus's recognition as the "first citizen" of Rome. He survived many illnesses during his lifetime to rule for 40 years and set up an exemplary empire which became the foundation of the western civilization. The author also shows us the glimpses of early Roman life and customs, but where the book shines is in showing the realities of power politics of the early Roman period. Everitt has done an enormous amount of research for bringing a lively history book into the hands of the reader. The chronology and the maps in the beginning of the book are very helpful; however, a glossary and an index of persons at the end would have made it an indispensable book.
Very thorough book. The author tried to give various views of events and then his own interpretation. Good read for any fan of ancient history.