Hands move quicker than the eye can see

Suetonis Life of Augustus

“Gallius was tortured as if he were a slave; and though he confessed to nothing, Augustus himself tore out his eyes and sentenced him to death.” (Suetonis 27)

“According to some historians, he chose 300 prisoners of equestrian or senatorial rank, and offered them on the ides of March at the altar of the God Julius, as human sacrifices. (Suetonis, 15)”

The first quote is addressed in the 27 paragraph where it is explained by Augustus was hated during his reign. This quote is an example of Augustus being irrational, using just what he thought he saw (a sword) and killing a possibly innocent man. Augustus acted rashly. The reason I associate the term Iris with this quote is because although Augustus could have been mistaken with the object he thought he saw on Gallius, he went so far to tear his eyes as if removing doubt to what he saw. It is a guilty complex to assume someone is a threat and instead of being incorrect, Augustus uses the idea “If you don’t see it, it never happened”. He was trying to mask his mistake  but removing the eyes of his victim.

The second quote refers to Augustus again being hot headed. In the passage, Augustus seek revenge with sentencing death to crowds of prisoner. The event happens to be on the Ides of March, the day Julius Caesar was given his fate. The ides of march, best known as the foretold date, reminded me of eyes that could see into the future. Ides, translated to the day falling to the middle of the month, made me think of eyes (play on words) . The iris of a person’s eyes is near the front of the eye, between the cornea and the pupil- the middle of the person’s eyes. It control the amount of light a person processes. The eyes move quickly and rapidly change the amount of light it processes to the brain. Just like the Iris, Augustus is rash and impulsive to act.

 

Latin may be a dead language, but several words derive from it, including the word iris. During Caesar’s error it would not be uncommon to hear someone say iris and not refer to the color of one’s eyes. Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the Olympian gods, specifically the God named Hera.

In your own words

This is an image of me. I took it to show my Iris and how my eyes of dilated because of the flash. Although the name Iris, comes from a God, it comes from a God Augustus most likely knew of and worshiped during his life.

The quotes to not directly connect with Iris since it is the name of a God but I found it interesting how rash and impetuous Augustus was, especially about killing people. It reminded me of how my father teases me that my eyes are bigger than my mouth or when I go through episodes of rapid thought and continuously look for everything to do and never being able to slow down and concentrate.

This image relates to Art 1010 because I took this image in my living room next to the blue lamp my father loves. This lamp has a similar shape that of a Pelike which is a one-piece ceramic container similar to an amphora. It has two open handles, a narrow neck, a flanged mouth, and a sagging, almost spherical belly. I thought it was interesting since I considered everything in my home very modern. Having a lamp resemble something from ancient Greece would be fun to say in a conversation. 

Cameron, Cannon TEAM JUPITER

 

 

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Caesar the Great

Augustus:

“Yet Augustus never wantonly invaded any country, and felt no temptation to increase the boundaries of Empire or enhance his military glory” and “Such was his reputation for courage and clemency…” (Suetonius,Life of Augustus 21)

Caesar:

“When they had begun to honour Julius Caesar (now Dictator), it was with the idea, of course, that he would be reasonable.” (Cassius Dio, Book 44.7)

The reason I chose these quotes is because these quotes shows the characteristics of Julius Ceasar and Augustus. They are both good leaders of Rome- Julius was making Rome safe from the possibility of Gallic invasions, as the quote says he is reasonable; and Augustus brought peace and stability to Rome, he was not afraid to fight. They were all thoughtful for the well-being of their people. However, we can see the different from the quotes- Julius was making himself a dictator but Augustus replaced the Roman republic with an effective monarchy instead of following Caesar’s example and making himself dictator.

The picture was showing the month August, which derived Augustus. August was named after Augustus Caesar in 8 B.C. Previously, August was called “Sextillia,” which was Latin for “sixth.” It was renamed in honor of Augustus.

Shiyin Zhao, Team Jupiter

Caesar and Spartacus

‘3 At any rate, some actually ventured to suggest permitting him to have intercourse with as many women as he pleased, because even at this time, though fifty years old, he still had numerous mistresses” Cassius Dio Book 44. 7-20

“4 And this is precisely what happened, though Caesar was encouraged by these very measures to believe that he should never be plotted against by the men who had voted him such honours, nor, through fear of them, by any one else; and consequently he even dispensed henceforth with a body-guard”Cassius Dio

In these two passages they first describe how arrogant Caesar was thinking that no on would attempt any assassination against him because he was too beloved by many and all his people. They also describe him as being perverted because of his lust for women having many mistresses. In the second passage it tells of how Caesar was more charismatic and his pride in Augustus his adopted son. I chose these quotes because usually when people talk about Caesar they do not go in depth to the actual caesar these passages allow you to see how others viewed Caesar. It allows you to see some of the other characteristics Caesar portrayed.

The image I chose is of a character named Julius Caesar From the series called Spartacus. In the show Julius caesar is not particularly the same as the actual Caesar. This Julius Caesar is almost another common soldier but eventually climbs the ranks after serving Marcus Crassus. He ends up finding himself as a big part in the rebellion Spartacus has started but would betray Spartacus as he revealed it was a ruse all along. I feel as though this character received his name because the writers of the show wanted to give a common soldier the name to see how viewers would view him whether he would be an important figure or another character. But eventually he proved to be more than just a common character.

Julius Caesar and Augustus are common figures we see in Art 1010. We have seen artworks sculpted after both figures and I have seen multiple statutes that have been made after them.

 

-Al-bishr Askar, Team Hephaestus

July and How Its Name Is Narcissistic

July: the seventh month of the year. We use its name at least 31 days a year, but do we ever stop to think about its origins? Have you ever wondered why SEPTember, OCTOber, NOVember, and DECember are not the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth months like their prefixes would suggest?

Originally, September through December were numbered the way you would expect, but then Julius Caesar and his nephew Augustus had the calendar rearranged to create new months so that they could have the summer (the best months, in their opinion) as their own. This was done to create an association between them and the most pleasant part of the year and. Thus these months are named July after Julius, and August after Augustus.

In the readings assigned for homework, Julius Caesar is characterized as haughty and obsessed with displays of power, as seen below:

…most men suspected him of being inflated with pride and hated him for his haughtiness (Cassius Dio, Book 44.9)

Augustus followed with a very small escort, along roads held by the enemy, after a shipwreck, too, and in a state of semi-convalescence from a serious illness. This energetic action delighted Caesar, who soon formed a high estimate of Augustus’s character (Suetonius, Life of Augustus, 8)

Julius Caesar is shown to be the kind of person to give off the impression that he is overly proud, and to be fond of someone for displaying similar traits like brash military actions. This characterization is exactly in line with the profile of someone who would fit the entire calendar to his own personal desires. He would probably love to know that we still use this system today.

-Chaya, team Venus

Augustus, The Great Emperor

Quotations-

“Caesar then went to fight Pompey’s sons in Spain; Augustus followed with a very small escort, along roads held by the enemy, after a shipwreck, too, and in a state of semi-convalescence from a serious illness. This energetic action delighted Caesar, who soon formed a high estimate of Augustus’s character.” (Suetonius, 8).

“When I administered my thirteenth consulate (2 B.C.E.), the senate and Equestrian order and Roman people all called me father of the country, and voted that the same be inscribed in the vestibule of my temple, in the Julian senate-house, and in the forum of Augustus under the chario which had been placed there for me by a decision of the senate.” (Res Gestae, 35).

These two quotations characterizes Augustus as a great emperor. The quotations expresses his militaristic and royal qualities. Even at the age of sixteen, he was pretty brave to follow Caesar to protect him. I chose these two quotations because they really give us the insight that Augustus was a great ruler. He had that quality since his childhood. He had that courage to protect the people of the country which is why he was very much respected by his countrymen. The passages are similar in the sense that they both depicts Augustus as brave and respected ruler of the country. The passages are different because the first one tells about him when he was too young, that is when he was sixteen years of age. The second quotation is when he got older, seventy-six years old. This was the other reason I chose these quotations because they portrays Augustus as a great person at his different ages of life.

The image that I chose is the month of the “August” in my calendar. The word, August can be described as an adjective which basically means respected and impressive. This word is derived from the Latin word, Augustus, named after the Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor. (Merriam Webster Dictionary). I can also connect this to the quotes that I chose above because Augustus really was respected and impressive person. His countrymen respected him. He won so many battles. He not only ruled over Rome, but doubled up the size of the empire by adding territories from Asia and Egypt. Thus, he is known as one of the great ruler of the Roman Empire.

I can also connect this to something that I learnt in my Art History class. In that class, we studied the sculpture of the Augustus of Primaporta. Augustus was the adopted son of Julius Caesar who also became the first emperor of Rome. He is always shown with the cupid on the dolphin and bare feet which is why he is also considered a God. His breastplate portrayed the battle between Romans and Parthians where Rome lost. But Augustus was successful in peacefully negotiating with the Parthians which is why he is also known as good master and diplomat. 

Gurleen Kaur, Team Venus 

Man I wish it was AUGUSTUS again….

“He argued that ‘Augustus‘ was both a more original and a more honourable title, since sanctuaries and all places consecrated by the augurs are known as ‘august‘ — the word being either an enlarged form of auctus, implying the ‘increase’ of dignity thus given such places, or a worn-down form of the phrase aviuw gestus gustus-ve, ‘the behaviour and appetite of birds’, which the augurs observed. Plancus supported his point by a quotation from Ennius’s Annals:

‘When glorious Rome had founded been, by augury august.’” (Suetonius)

“9. The senate decreed that vows be undertaken for my health by the consuls and priests every fifth year. In fulfillment of these vows they often celebrated games for my life; several times the four highest colleges of priests, several times the consuls. Also both privately and as a city all the citizens unanimously and continuously prayed at all the shrines for my health.” (Augustus)

The first of the quotes manages to describe Augustus in that he wanted to express his name in almost a more poetic manner.  It appears that this quote is meant to help show us how serious he was when it came to everything, including titles, especially for himself.  The second quote talks about how Agustus sees himself in the eyes of the people.  It shows us how he notices his surroundings and how he feels about the peoples reaction to him.  The second quote tends to see it as very positive, as many people are saying that they will pray for his health.  I chose these 2 because they seemed the most interesting to me.  How Agustus got his name seemed like a really cool thing to explore and examine.  I figured that it was a cool thing to look for in order to also understand my photo below.  The second one seemed cool as it was still talking about him, yet from the perspective of other people.  Also to see how they feel about him seemed pretty cool and impressive.  But since they both talk about different things, there really isn’t much in common between the 2.  The 1st one like I said is more about Augustus himself, while the second one is more about his relationship with his people in some manners.

The photo above is a picture of me with the August poster for 2018.  I found this to be one of the easiest things to connect back to our readings with.  Perhaps since the name was so similar to what Augustus named himself after, Perhaps this month was given this name to honor him.  This most certainly connects with the first quote at the top of my post as it is that it can almost be seen that Augustus and August coexisted with each other during his time.  The second one, being as it talks about Augustus’ relationship with his people and also deals in with his health, has no connection whatsoever here with the picture that I have above.

I was also able to connect this to Art History as we have been studying Roman architecture recently, including things that have been seen and made during the time of both Augustus and Julius Caesar.  That can connect to here, as both men had large impacts on Roman lifestyle, and we could see more of that as we move on with the lessons.

• Scott Vincent, Team Cronos

Julius “Caesar Salad”

Cassius Dio

“7 2 At any rate, some actually ventured to suggest permitting him to have intercourse with as many women as he pleased, because even at this time, though fifty years old, he still had numerous mistresses.”

Suetonius

Life of Augustus

“8 Having recovered possession of Spain, Caesar planned a war against the Dacians and Parthians, and sent Augustus ahead to Apollonia, in Illyria, where he spent his spare time studying Greek literature.”

The first quote portrays Julius Caesar as a man of multiple women who was, to certain extent, honored by his people. Though the majority didn’t perceive him as a leader, but rather a weak link to their kingdom that they wanted to perish, he didn’t inflict harm on those who went against him. Perhaps his personality led to his assassination. Second quote expands on Caesar’s military determination. He is also shown to be a man of knowledge as he ‘plans’ wars and spends his spare time learning.

This image is me holding a Caesar salad that was made only to be advertised. I remember my first time in an unfamiliar restaurant years ago. I was given a menu in an Italian language, I didn’t understand anything but a word that looked familiar – ‘Caesar’. I quickly made a reference to Julius Caesar. Since then, I believed that the name Caesar Salad was influenced by Julius Caesar. Though my theory can be a myth or a fact, it is pretty interesting. Rumors arose that Caesar Cardini, born in Italy, was the man behind the tasty Caesar salad. Unfortunately, the rumors claim Julius Caesar was not an influence to Cardini to create the Caesar salad. On the other hand, rumor has it that Caesar salad was invented in about 1903 by Giacomo Junia who is an Italian chef in Chicago. Giacomo Junia named his invention after Julias Caesar, ‘the greatest Italian of all time’. Regardless of all these rumors, I believe that Caesar salad was greatly influenced by Julius Caesar and is an easy make and good taste – only if you stab it 23 times!

To connect this with art class, statue of Julius Caesar is shown in contrapposto wearing military uniform depicting his power over the army. In his statue we see a more naturalistic look, ideal proportions, and lack of emotions.

-Amir, Team Juno

Similar Names = Similar Thoughts?

“As for foreign nations, those which I was able to safely forgive, I preferred to preserve than to destroy.” (Gestae, 3).

“Augustus thought it most important not to let the native Roman stock be tainted with foreign or servile blood, and was therefore very unwilling to create new Roman citizens, or to permit the manumission of more than a limited number of slaves.” (Suetonius, 40)

Both of these quotes characterize Augustus and his believes. It shows that he wants to preserve the cultures he conquers and not just destroy them. He also doesn’t want new blood mixed into the native Roman Population through. He wants to preserve, but keep a strict divide. These two quotes are similar because they show how Augustus dealt with foreign affairs whether it be the people or their culture. The difference though is he prefers the culture and their history over the current population. He rather know and not have the present population mixing with his “perfect” blood.

The image above is a selfie I took with a friend name Tim, but his middle name is Augustine, which derives from the name Augustus. In this picture we had just helped a friend figure her way out on the subway late one night and had seen many rats. We wanted to take a picture to remember our adventure. I asked Tim why his parents gave him the middle name of Augustine and he said it was a family name. As Augustus was very poplar there are many versions from his name and therefore to have it be a family name is not to uncommon. Perhaps his family is an actual descendant of Augustus or some how related to have this name, or it could be that a member farther back really enjoyed the name. I have only known Tim for a few months, but I think that he connects to the quotes I picked from the reading, more so the first one than the second one. Tim is very inclusive and wants to make sure that all people are represented. Like Augustus he thinks that everyone’s culture is worth learning about, unlike Augustus he doesn’t want the divide between cultures. –Emma, Saturn

Royal Blood

 

“King Tarquinius Priscus admitted Octavian’s, among other plebeian families, to the Roman Senate, and though Servius tullius awarded them patrician privileges, they later reverted to plebeian rank until eventually Julius Caesar made them patricians once more.” (Suetonius, page 9)

“One was the number of those who were privy to the plot, although Caesar would not receive any information about anything of that sort and punished very severely those who brought news of any kind” (Cassius Dio, page 5)

I chose these two quotes to characterize Julius Caesar. The first quote depicts Caesar as being someone with respect to familial ranks in society, and make him seem “nice.” Like Professor Yarrow discussed in class, a reason for Caesar’s murder might have been because he felt the need to be nice to all parties, seen through him wanting to give back family’s ranks that had been taken from them. The second quote paints Caesar as someone who doesn’t want to hear bad news. He doesn’t want to be told of any revolts or plots, and insists that no one tell him of any news at all. This also shows that he might come across as being too nice, for he just wants to live in a happy, violence free world. I chose these quotes because they show through Caesar’s actions his personality. One way these quotes are similar is that they are very vague, yet you get a direct sense of who people thought Caesar was.

My dog’s name is Julia Blu. The name Julia derives from Julius, and was the name of all the females in Caesar’s lineage. My mom named her this because she felt Julia seemed like a royal name, and my dog is a purebred German Shepard, so it’s almost like she has royal blood. Although it doesn’t really directly connect to Caesar, it shows that his family name comes across as being very royal, especially because all of his family had this one family name.

 

Camille, Team Diana

It and Augustus

For this blog post, we are supposed to write about an object or person that has a name that derives from Julius Caesar or Augustus, two of the most well-known Roman emperors in history. The object I chose that has a name that derives from these two emperors is the book It by Stephen King. Even though on the surface this novel doesn’t seem connected to these two famous emperors, it actually does. If you are familiar with the novel, the 1990s mini-series, or the movie that came out this year, you know that half of the book takes place in the summer of 1958 and two months in the summer are July and August. July is named after Julius Caesar and August is named after Augustus. Even though Stephen King didn’t choose these months because of the origins of their names, it is still interesting to look at why these months have these names. While both are important, I’m mainly going to focus on August and Augustus in this post.

Augustus was the adopted great-nephew of Julius Caesar and was emperor of Rome after Caesar’s death. I thought the month of August was named after Augustus because it was the month he was born, but this speculation actually isn’t true. According to Suetonius’ “Life of Augustus,” he states, “that the name ‘August’ should be transferred to September, because Augustus had been born in September but had died in the month now called August; and that the period between his birth and death should be officially entered in the Calendar as ‘the Augustan Age.” This is quote shows that August is actually named after Augustus’ death and not his birth. This also clears up this common misconception that many people have about the origins of the name “August.”

Augustus was a very popular ruler. In the same writing, Suetonius states, “Such was his reputation for courage and clemency that the very Indians and Scythians — nations of whom we then knew by hearsay alone — voluntarily sent ambassadors to Rome, pleading for his friendship and that of his people.” This shows how Augustus was seen as this powerful, courageous, merciful leader that was a desired ally. I chose this quote because it shows how other countries saw Augustus and how they all wanted to be his ally. He was seen as someone who would protect all the people he ruled over and who were on his side. As well as being courageous and merciful, he was also well accomplished. In Res Gestae, Augustus himself says, “Twice I triumphed with an ovation, and three times I enjoyeda curule triumph and twenty-one times I was named emperor.” This shows just some of the things that Augustus accomplished his long reign as emperor and it shows how accomplished Augustus was. I chose this quote because it shows how accomplished Augustus is and how Augustus views himself. These two quotes show how Augustus was seen as this powerful figure who accomplished many triumphs. Both passages list Augustus’ political and military victories.

This postive view of Augustus can be seen in artwork such as “The Augustus of Primaporta” made in 20 BC. This was meant to be a propaganda piece that showed Augustus as a powerful decendant of the gods that had a vast amount of political triumphs. His power is show by his powerful stance. Also, his divine herititage is symbolized by the cupid and the dolphin, which are symbols of Aphrodite, and his bare feet, which was used in art work to show god-like status. Furthermore, Augustus’ breast plate depicts many of his political victories, such as the returning of military standards to Rome from the Parthians. This sculpture, the passages, and the name, “August,” shows how Augustus was seen as this powerful, god-like figure and how he has a lasting legacy.

Augustus of Primaporta picture link

-Emily Ryan, Team Mars

Augustus The Avenger

“The underlying motive of every campaign was that Augustus felt it his duty, above all, to avenge Caesar and keep his decrees in force. On his return from Apollonia, he decided to punish Brutus and Cassius immediately; but they foresaw the danger and escaped, so he had recourse to the law and prosecuted them for murder.”- (Suetonius, 10)

“I drove the men who slaughtered my father into exile with a legal order, punishing their crime, and afterwards, when they waged war on the state, I conquered them in two battles.”- (Res Gestae, 2)

These two passages characterize Augustus an avenger for Julius Caesar’s legacy. Julius Caesar chose Augustus to be his adoptive son. I specifically chose these two passages because Augustus is often characterized as a someone who was a powerful, great, and successful ruler, but I wanted to shine a light on why he was so mighty. His underlying purpose and intentions were to carry out what Julius Caesar could not because of his early death/ assassination. In Suetonius’s passage, it states how Augustus felt obligated to avenge Caesar by prosecuting Brutus and Cassius for murder. Similarly in Res Gestae’s passage, Augustus himself states that he wanted to take legal action in punishing those who harmed his father, Caesar. Both passages mention taking legal action as a form of punishment, but Suetonius specifically mentions Brutus and Cassius, while Res Gastae’s passage keeps the perpetrators anonymous, but points out all the things Augustus has done to avenge Caesar; not only does he punish them through law, but he successfully conquers them in two battles to defend Caesar’s honor.

In this image, I took a picture with the “Silver Denarius of Octavian”. It is a silver coin that shows the head of Augustus. Augustus’s original name was Gaius Octavius. The coin was deprived from Augustus’s original name because it is meant to show that Augustus is someone who is one amongst the gods. Gods’ heads were the only ones who were allowed to be on coins. The fact that Augustus’s head is on a silver coin indicates that he is someone who is not only favored by the gods, but also someone who is a god himself. My speculation correlates with the quotes chosen above because it shows how powerful Augustus is. He is able to carry out orders as a great ruler should and he punishes those who are in the wrong. He is also victorious in his battles and brings peace among the Roman empire. A god’s job is to create order in the world and punish those who have sinned, which is similar to how Augustus controls his empire. In a way, Augustus plays the role of god among the Romans. When inheriting Caesar’s name, with it came all the titles that followed. Augustus’s name became: Imp [Julius] Caesar [Octavianus] Divi filius Augustus Imp XXI Pont Max Trib Pot XXXVII Cos XIII Princeps Senatus Pater Patriae [imperium maius]
Augustus’s full name in and of itself is something that shows how great he is. “Divi filius” means “son of god”. “Imp” is short for “Imperator” which means “emperor”. Albeit his name may be long, it shows everything that Augustus defines himself to be.

Mary Huang, Team Vulcan

First Sextilis, then August

Quotes characterized Augustus:

1) “Augustus announced his candidature for a tribuneship of the people– death had created a vacancy- although neither a patrician nor a senator, and thus doubly disqualified from standing” (Suetonius, 10).
2) “In my nineteenth year, on my own initiative and at my own expense, I raised an army with which I set free the state, which was oppressed by the domination of a faction” (Res Gestae, 1).

These two quotes show that Augustus was a man who fought for himself and people. In the first quotation, we can read that he tried to be a candidate for tribuneship, even though he never had anything to do with that, which disqualified him automatically. Another quote is a part of the piece that Augustus wrote about himself. It shows that as a young man he already was able to be there for people, and help them out.
I chose those two quotations because I wanted to describe Emperor Augustus as a brave young man who was not afraid to take actions and help.
Two passages are similar because both of them emphasizes Augustus’ courage. The first one is from Suetonius. The author describes the ruler willingness to take a risk. The second quote is Augustus’ own words. He describes how he raised an army on his own.

I took a selfie with the month of August from my new planner for 2018. August it the eight month of the year in the Gregorian calendar and it’s named after Emperor Augustus. At first it was named Sextilis (in Latin), but later on, Julius Caesar changed it in honor of Augustus Caesar in 8 BCE.

I think that there is the connection between Augustus that we read about in class and my picture. The month August was named in honor of Emperor Augustus, which means that he was an important person who deserved it. In our readings, we can read about Augustus as a young man who was able to help people, take the risk and show his courage. This post is also connected to our art history class because we spoke about Augustus’ sculpture and described him very specifically as a young brave man.

Edyta, Team Aphrodite

 

 

 

 

 

 

August(us)

“At sixteen, having now come of age, he was awarded military decorations when Caesar celebrated his African triumph, though he had been too young for overseas service”-Suetonis

 

“Augustus actually engaged assassins to murder Antony and, when the plot came to light, spent as much money as he could raise on enlisting a force of veterans to protect himself and the Constitution.”-Suetonis

 

These two passages characterize Augustus as a triumphant, young ruler of Rome that used his wealth to protect his citizens. I chose these passages because they highlight adjectives and words that represent who Augustus was and what he has done. These two passages are different, as the first passage is about Augustus prior to becoming emperor whereas the second passage is about Augustus as emperor.

The image I chose shows me holding a calendar, showing the month of August.  August comes from Augustus. This is probably because Augustus achieved an important accomplishment in this month and was later renamed in honor of him. My speculation does not connect with the first quote but does with the second. In the first quote, Augustus was sixteen and may have been too young to have a month named after him. In the second quote however, the assassination of Antony may have earned the respect of Roman officials and honor him with August.

 

Frank-Team Artemis

Augusto!

• “As a judge he was both conscientious and lenient…”

-(Passage 33, Life of Augustus, Suetonius)

This quote portrays one of Augustus’ main qualities – being diligent and meticulous, while being lenient. The author gives summarized examples of how Augustus exercised his power in this manner, which included him adding a third tablet for jurors in a particular case for the benefit of the suspect, and assigning different cases to the City Praetor, with citizens’ appeals. This passage gives us insight into how Augustus executed his duties, and we are able to see that he was a dedicated and fair-minded leader.

 

• “When the dictatorship was offered to me, both in my presence and my absence, by the people and senate, when Marcus Marcellus and Lucius Arruntius were consuls (22 B.C.E.), I did not accept it.”

-(Passage 5, Res Gestae)

The second quote displays one of Augustus’ other predominant qualities – seeming humble, but with a hint of pride. This is evident in the way he highlights who and what circumstances surrounded him being offered the dictatorship – the people and senate, the consuls, and in his presence and absence. In this passage, Augustus is offered the dictatorship, and turns it down multiple times. Additionally, we are informed of how he frees the city from fear and danger through utilizing his own expenses, which also displays his humble, yet prideful, characteristic.

The traits selected stood out in both of the authors’ pieces, and were crucial in describing Augustus. Though these passages exhibit attributes that might not be that similar, they are somewhat connected in relation to building a well-respected and successful leader. Being humble, with hints of pride, and possessing diligence and leniency in work ethics are two predominant qualities in the formation of a great leader. I chose these two characteristics because of this connection, and due to the fact that these are extremely important features of Augustus. Through the presentation of different events, the first passage being his work in the courts and the second passage entailing his denial of a prestigious role, we are able to obtain these two traits and connect them.

 

This is an image featuring me and my cousin, Keon. It was taken the day after I had just arrived from Guyana. Keon, whose middle name happens to be Augusto, is from Grenada, where this name is extremely uncommon.

Theory! – After researching the actual meaning of “Augusto,” which derives from “Augustus,” and means majestic and venerable, I began to think that his parents named him this because of the name’s rarity in the Caribbean, and due to their knowledge of Augustus, while dreaming of Keon becoming someone outstanding (“majestic”), yet humble.

To confirm my speculation, I asked my Uncle why he had named my cousin “Augusto,” who responded, “Just like Augustus, he will be well-known for something amazing.” I was correct on where they obtained the name from, and their wishes for his future.

My theory of why they named him “Augusto” does connect with quotes I selected in that the quotes and my speculation of the reason for Keon’s name are extremely similar. Keon does manifest these traits in his personality – he is the type of person who tries to present himself as humble, which is obvious in everyday actions, while being very diligent in whatever he does.

 

-Daniel, Team Diana.

How Comes that Augustus Caesar relates to a Hotel’s name?

Suetonius wrote in “Life of Augustus” that “Yet Augustus never wantonly invaded any country, and felt no temptation to increase the boundaries of Empire or enhance his military glory; indeed, he made certain barbarian chieftains swear in the Temple of Avenging Mars that they would faithfully keep the peace for which they sued.” From this quotation, we see Augustus is a very peaceful and rational person, he had no temptation of expanded his empire, the reason why he fought is not that he wanted to have more glory or become more powerful but only because he wanted to united all barbarians, keep the peace and prevent further wars. He had such a big heart.

This an excerpt of what Augustus Caesar wrote at Res Gestae, it is about himself for his own Mausoleum in Rome. “I often waged war, civil and foreign, on the earth and sea, in the whole wide world, and as a victor, I spared all the citizens who sought pardon. As for foreign nations, those which I was able to safely forgive, I preferred to preserve than to destroy.” This is an excerpt of what Augustus Caesar wrote about himself, he said that he often started wars inside of the empire or outside with other nations, in the whole wide world. As a winner of the wars, he forgave all the citizens as they sought pardon, he preferred to keep these nations with peace than to destroy them. We can see here that Augustus wanted to let people know how generous he is, he didn’t want to eliminate these nation even they lose.

The reason why I chose these two quotes is that I learned from Art class that Augustus Caesar brought Pax Romana- 200 years of peace to Rome. What I learned from Art 1010 really connect to what we learned in this unit for Clas 1010. Also, this is very interesting that both Suetonius and Augustus himself described the reason of wars that Augustus started is because he wants to keep a further and longer peacetime, he is very kind to forgive the loser nation and make barbarians to vow and keep the peace.

This is an image of Hotel Caesar Augustus in Capri, Italy. Capri is famous by the statue of Augustus Caesar, it is the symbol of the city. The Hotel Caesar Augustus has it history since 19 century. Before to be transformed to be a hotel, it was a village that bought by Russia’s Prince Emmanuel Bulhak by the first half of 19th century. Bulhak believed that Augustus Caesar is the person who made Capri famous and he is the emperor of the world, Bulhak placed the statue of Augustus on the terrace because of it. By the second half of 29th century, Prince Bulhak sold the village to the family Signorini and the family transformed it into a hotel. The name of this hotel has nothing to do with the kind and peaceful characteristic of August Caesar but there is no doubt that Capri had become famous because of him and this was the reason why the family Signorini named it after him.

#Qiyi, Team Vesta

“Augustus” named on the planner

Suetonius: Life of Augustus:

“Next to the Immortals, Augustus most honoured the memory of those citizens who had raised the Roman people from small beginnings to their present glory; which was why he restored many public buildings erected by men of this calibre, complete with their original dedicatory inscriptions, and raised statues to them, wearing triumphal dress, in the twin colonnades of his Forum.”

Res Gestae:

“As for foreign nations, those which I was able to safely forgive, I preferred to preserve than to destroy. About five hundred thousand Roman citizens were sworn to me. I led something more than three hundred thousand of them into colonies and I returned them to their cities, after their stipend had been earned, and I assigned all of them fields or gave them money for their military service.

In the first passage, Augustus appears as a character who is an excellent administrator. He carried out an enormous work of reorganizing the entire Roman Empire. Furthermore, through stringent rules with strict discipline Augustus was able to bring a lasting Roman peace that improved communication and prosperous trade. Rejuvenation of old practices adequately integrated Judaism and Christianity through transmission of Classical heritage from Romans and Greeks.

Contrastingly, in the other passage of Res Gsestae, Augustus is depicted as a merciful emperor who forgave those that surrendered and gave themselves to the Roman Empire.”

These two passages characterize Augustus more than Julius Caesar. This describes more as Augustus because while I reading the text, it talks more about Augustus and what Augustus has done. It also shows the kind of person Augustus was. The first quote talks about Augustus most honored memory and how those people are respected by the Roman people. The statue that was created to make those people wear winning dress.The second quotes talk about talks about how Augustus was kind enough to forgive the one who gave up and gave themselves to the Roman Empire.

I choose those two passages because since it has many details on Augustus and talks a lot about what Augustus did and how he is so important. Also shows how he is characterized as a person.

The two passages I choose have some similarities and differences.The similarities between the two passages are that they both talk about Augustus. Both of the passages talk about him being honored and what he has done. The differences are that the first passages talk about how Roman people respect the dead people and honored them with the statue that has the wining dress. The second passage talks about how Augustus forgave people that gave up but were able to give themselves Roman Empire. It also talks about how Augustus recognize as an excellent administrator and he has much excellent recognition throughout the Roman Empire.

When I was going through my Brooklyn College planner, I came across to this page for the month of Augustus. As soon I saw that I automatically knew how Augustus connects with the month of August. The calendar derived the name of Augustus because since the name of the month August is named after Augustus.

The comparison to speculation to the quotes above, I will say it somewhat connects because is the month of the August was named after Augustus which already shows that Augustus is powerful and people showed him respect to him. And shows his importance to what he has done.

In Art History class, we also discussed about Augustus. This image was studied in Art History class.

This topic connects with art because since we studied this sculpture of Augustus Caesar in art. In art, we learned about every detailed of the image and what pose Augustus Caesar is making or what his intentions and what he is trying to say. This portrait was found in Italy and named Augustus of Prima Porta. In this picture, Augustus is the military dress, wearing highly decorated breastplate or cuirass and the drape is around his hip. His right hand is raised up and pointing up to show that his power and addressing to his troops. He is also depicted barefoot which show that he is the god. This sculpture also shows political propaganda and to show the importance of him.

-Mantaha Mannan, Team Vulcan

Citation:

“History – Augustus.” BBC, BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/augustus.shtml.

The Great Augustus Caesar

Suetonius

“Augustus introduced many reforms into the Army, besides reviving certain obsolete practices, and exacted the strictest discipline. He grudged even his generals home leave and granted this only during the winter.”

Res Gestae

“I often waged war, civil and foreign, on earth and sea, in the whole wide world, and as the victor, I spared all the citizens who sought pardon. As for foreign nations, those which I was able to forgive safety, I preferred to preserve than to destroy.”

In the first passage, Augustus appears as a character who is an excellent administrator. He carried out an enormous work of reorganizing the entire Roman Empire. Furthermore, through stringent rules with strict discipline Augustus was able to bring a lasting Roman peace that improved communication and prosperous trade. Rejuvenation of old practices adequately integrated Judaism and Christianity through transmission of Classical heritage from Romans and Greeks.

Contrastingly, in the other passage of Res Gestae, Augustus is depicted as a merciful emperor who forgave those that surrendered and gave themselves to the Roman Empire.

The choice of two passage relies on the fact that they bring out clearly how Augustus was able to tactfully conceal autocracy in a traditionalist way to satisfy a war-worn generation. For instance, Augustus hardly was he known for mercy over his enemies, but he uses the propaganda to cloak his ruthlessness over his subjects to satisfy the upper bourgeoisie that much benefited from new requests made by the emperor.

The passages are similar in such a way that both reveal Augustus’ mastery of imaginative propaganda that was used to expand his territory as well as conquering his enemies. The technique was used to get massive following even beyond boundaries of the Roman Empire.

This is an image of my young cousin called Augustine and me. The name Augustine is a derivative of Augustus which means “the increase” or “majestic.” In particular, my cousin in the picture is believed to be having the qualities of a splendor or a leader. He is very charismatic, principled for a young boy, courageous and brave and very respectful.

Comparing my speculation to the quotes, I will say it partially connects to the quotes as my cousin is a brave and courageous boy like Augustus Caesar, but the name he was given according to his parents was influenced by a man of God.

In Art History, we discussed some of the qualities of Augustus Caesar, by analyzing the sculpture below.

This piece of sculpture is one of the famous portraits of Augustus Caesar. The portrait is called Augustus of Primaporta because of where it was found in Italy. Augustus is standing in contrapposto, this means he is a bit slanted in his stance. The emperor is wearing military regalia, and his arm is raised and outstretched, demonstrating that he might have been addressing his troops. The bare feet of the emperor suggest he was a god, and so does the cupid beside his right leg. The artwork here also serves as a visual propaganda by expressing the emperor’s divine lineage and military triumphs.

Richard, Team Vulcan.

Citations

Dowson, Thomas. “Augustus of Prima Porta.” Archaeology Travel, 10 Jan. 2017, archaeology-travel.com/friday-find/augustus-prima-porta/.

 

 

 

 

It’s a Metaphor!!

 

1. “…when, at a crisis in the fighting, the standard-bearer of his legion was seriously wounded, Augustus himself shouldered the Eagle and carried it for some time” (Suetonius 9).
2. “… After the fall of the city Augustus took vengeance on crowds of prisoners and returned the same answer to all who sued for pardon or tried to explain their presence among the rebels” (Suetonius 15)

These two passages show that Augustus is a responsible and righteous man. He is also someone with great leadership skills since he was able to lead an entire army. Augustus takes the burden and fights for his people. I chose them because it shows how brave and capable he is as a leader. Both passages talk about Augustus’ burden of being a powerful figure that is leading a whole army in order to conquer lands, and how much the people depend on him.

This image is a picture of Augustus Waters from the movie The Fault In Our Stars; It is an adaption of the book which is by John Green. The name ‘Augustus’ is actually suitable for this character because he is brave, courageous, loyal, but, not perfect. The first quote can support how Augustus from the movie and book tries to fight cancer with a smile on his face, knowing that he may die. The second quote supports the part when he helps his blind friend, Issac, get revenge on his ex-girlfriend by throwing eggs at her car. Augustus could have literally been the most perfect guy in The Fault In Our Stars, like Augustus from the “Imperators”, however, both are not perfect beings.

Becky, Team Hera

“I am simply one hell of a butler”: Sebastian

Suetonius: Life of Augustus
“Augustus‘ was both a more original and a more honorable title,”

Res Gsestae: Augustas:

“I was able to safely forgive, I preferred to preserve than to destroy. 

These two quotes characterize Augustas because it describes his personality and his disposition.

I chose these quotes because it shows why Augusta’s name is ‘Augustus’ and how his name characterized him as a person.

The two passages are similar because they both characterize him as honorable. The 1st quote directly states that Augustus means honorable while the 2nd quote describes an action that shows such character.

This is an image of me and a character from popular anime called Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler). The character’s name is Sebastian.  He was named “Sebastian” because it was the name of the main character’s dog which he thought was fitting for the role of a butler.

The name Sebastian derives from the Greek word σεβαστός (sebastos), a city that was named after Augustus. The word translates to “venerable” which was an epithet used for Augustas. Also, It was the Greek translation of the Roman title Augustus (Etymonline.com).

Sebastian might have a name derived from Augustus and means venerable because his character was very wise and commanded respect from all other characters. He was also shown as an extremely skilled person in battle as was Augustus.

The speculation does connect to the quotes because both names describe the character of the person who holds it. I am not sure if the character name Sebastian was directly inspired from Augustas but it does seem like it was inspired by what the name Sebastian describes.

This topic also connects to our art class because we studied the sculptor of Augustus.

This is the image of the sculpture of Augustus from Primaporta. As we have seen in Classics, the name Augustus was a name that described his honorable characters and was a political title that held him as an esteemed individual.  Similarly, this image sculpture is also a visual political propaganda that set him up as an extremely important and esteemed person. This correlates to our Art class as we have learned the importance of Art as visual propaganda. His breastplate held to account for his diplomatic victory against the Parthians and advertise him as a great military and diplomatic emperor who held the title of ‘Augustus’.

 

https://www.etymonline.com/word/sebastian

image: https://www.google.com/search?q=sebastian+black+butler&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS752US752&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0saG7uM7XAhVr6YMKHaNBBykQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=662#imgdii=Wmp_I-jQaaelPM:&imgrc=v8ocVZNwoWSQiM:

Masuma, Team Mercury

The Month of “Augustus”

Throughout the readings, we learn a lot about who he is and his characteristics.

“He argued that ‘Augustus‘ was both a more original and a more honorable title, since sanctuaries and all places consecrated by the augurs are known as ‘august‘” (Life of Augustus 7).

“I drove the men who slaughtered my father into exile with a legal order, punishing their crime, and afterwards, when they waged war on the state, I conquered them in two battles” (RES GESTAE 2)

These two quotes displays how people honored Augustus and Augustus’s actions. People feel that his name is empowering and respected while he gets revenge to the people who slaughtered his father. I chose these quotes because they both display to the reader they type of person Augustus is. One is what others characterized him as while the other is what the reader takes away about his actions. Both quotes are similar in that they both use specific wording to fully characterize Augustus. In the first quote, the terms original and honorable are being used to characterize Augustus while in the second quote it uses the terms punish and conquer.

This is a picture of me holding a calendar opened up to the month of August. The month of August is named after Augustus. Augustus completed the calendar and named the month after himself. This relates to the reading in a way because Augustus is known for conquering therefore him naming a month after himself shows power and honor as discussed  in the previous quotes.

Extra Credit:

This picture relates to the class because we are currently learning about Augustus and Julius Caesar. The month on July is named after Julius and the month of August is named after Augustus. This is me holding a calendar opened up to the month of August. Augustus named this month after himself which shows that he is very powerful and respected by many.

Adam Allan, Team Ares