Augustus: (Edinburgh Readings on the Ancient World)

Augustus (63 BC AD 14), the first Roman emperor, brought peace and stability to Rome after decades of strife and uncertainty. He put in place a new institutional framework for the Roman Empire and inspired the ideology that sustained it for the next three hundred years. This book presents a selection of the most important scholarship on Augustus and the contribution he made to the development of the Roman state in the early imperial period. The subjects of the selected papers include Augustus' dramatic rise to prominence following the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BC and the nature of his powers first as triumvir, then as Princeps; his policy regarding overseas wars and expansion, his administrative and military reforms of the Roman state; the role of his own family, his wife Livia, his son-in-law Agrippa and his adopted sons Gaius and Lucius Caesar and then Tiberius, in public life; his concern to reinforce Roman religion and family life; the development of an ideology that helped bolster his authority as ruler of an expanded Empire, including the importance of visual imagery, monuments and literature in the far-flung propagation of his image as leader; and the impact that his regime made on the communities of the Roman provinces. Jonathan Edmondson sets these papers into the general context of major trends in the study of Augustus in Britain, Europe and North America since the nineteenth century. Five are published here in English for the first time and many include illustrations of the most important visual evidence for the principate of Augustus. The book is equipped with a chronology, a glossary and a guide to further reading; all passages in Latin and Greek are translated into English.

Table of Contents:
Details of Original Publications; Acknowledgements; Note to the Reader; Abbreviations; Map of the Roman Empire, c. A.D. 14; Introduction: Approaching the Age of Augustus; Introduction to Part I; 1. Imperator Caesar: a Study in Nomenclature, Ronald Syme; 2. Triumvirate and Principate, Fergus Millar; 3. The Powers of Augustus, Jean-Louis Ferrary, trans. Jonathan Edmondson; 4. Augustus, War and Peace, John Rich; 5. Livia and the Womanhood of Rome , Nicholas Purcell; Introduction to Part II; 6. The Political Significance of Augustus' Military Reforms, Kurt A. Raaflaub; 7. Augustus' Administrative Reforms: Pragmatism or Systematic Planning? Werner Eck, trans. Claus Nader; 8. Family and Inheritance in the Augustan Marriage Laws, Andrew Wallace Hadrill; 9. To Honour the Princeps and Worship the Gods: Public Cult, Cult in the Neighbourhoods, and Imperial Cult in Augustan Rome, John Scheid, trans. Jonathan Edmondson; Introduction to Part III; 10. Monuments of the Battle of Actium: Propaganda and Response, Tonio Hölscher, trans. Claus Nader; 11. Augustan Cleopatras, Maria Wyke; 12. Cybele, Virgil, and Augustus, T. P. Wiseman; 13. Livy, Augustus, and the Forum Augustum, T. J. Luce; Introduction to Part IV; 14. Colonia Augusta Emerita, Capital of Lusitania, Walter Trillmich; 15. The Cities of the Greek World under Augustus, Glen Bowersock; Chronology; Glossary; Guide to Further Reading; Bibliography; List of Illustrations; Index.

About the Author :
Jonathan Edmondson is Professor of Roman History and Classical Studies at York University, Toronto.

Review :
This is a valuable publication for every student interested in Roman history and in the age of Augustus. This is a valuable publication for every student interested in Roman history and in the age of Augustus. Jonathan Edmondson has gathered a powerful collection of classic essays, written by the most influential historians and archaeologists to have tackled Rome’s first emperor over the last half century. They are essential reading for anyone interested in the foundation of the imperial monarchy. This is a model 'portable library' of the very best of academic research other editors of collections should seek to emulate and Edmondson is to be applauded for his achievement. For readers with a passion for Augustus and his times this is a highly worthwhile addition to the bookshelf. This is a model 'portable library' of the very best of academic research other editors of collections should seek to emulate and Edmondson is to be applauded for his achievement. For readers with a passion for Augustus and his times this is a highly worthwhile addition to the bookshelf.