In my last year of university I took a seminar class on Augustus and I always considered his ability to portray himself as a benevolent friend of the Republic while simultaniously destroying it incredibly interesting.
@@ericwilliams1659 Democrats literally controlling the media while taking your rights away. Forcing you to get a shot, forcing you to wear a mask, banning you from saying things, banning you from owning things. Crazy
@@BigDaddyJamsno proof of that person on the internet, and i highly doubt any sort of genetic testing could ever cerrify someone was a direct descendant of someone without an extremely detailed and extrnsive family tree (like that of Confucius)
@@NameTaken_86 He destroyed and remade the Roman state in his own image while spending his entire career appealing to the restoration of true Republicanism. This is borne out by the words of the people who were there, including the words of Augustus himself. You can read them. That is not conjecture.
@@NameTaken_86"Just conjecture like most historical RU-vidrs" This RU-vidr has a PhD in Roman and Greek history. What are your credentials? Kaiser of armchair historians?
That was one of your BEST posts yet. Explore the altar to find the man Then explore the persona the man created, and then metaphysically, launch him into eternity. SO well written Dr. G.
I made the visit to Rome as my highschool graduation gift from my parents. I remember walking through the city to see the tomb of Augustus and down the street seeing this small museum to the Ara Pacis that nobody seemed to be going into. We decided to go into it to escape from the summer heat and man, it took my breath away. It was quiet, everything was "white" and the open windows that gave way to the city outside was a stark contrast to the cleanliness and seeming emptiness of the museum which gave me the impression of being in a bubble. The Ara Pacis was in the center and it really gave me the impression of solitude. One of my favorite places in Rome even though I originally had no knowledge of it's existence and came upon it by happenstance.
I read about the rediscovery of the Ara Pacis in the 1930's. Found buried in Tiber silt, still complete and standing, it was under an opera house. The solution for excavation came by way of freezing the soil under the theater with liquid nitrogen so it wouldn't collapse.
That was a really good video. I loved the history lesson; especially since it was so well told. You could do this for any emperor and I would think it was a well chosen subject.
I would really like a video where you take a close look at all the scenes sculpted on the altar and explain who the characters are, what's going on, what the symbolims is, etc. That would be so interesting!
Incredible oration. Cadence, adherence to what we believe to be fact, wonderful graphics that fit perfectly with the words. Just incredible. Thank you. You should be teaching. Thank you.
I loved how you combined the actual buildings with their historical significance. There may be a goldmine of content in this idea. There are so many old buildings from the brothels of Pompeii to the sewers of Rome just waiting to be put in their historical context.
Brilliantly delivered , concise and educational in a comfortable amount of time. A "Triumph" in RU-vid composition! I will remember this one for a very long time. Thank you.
Augustus, somebody who somehow understood his place in history and played his role the best he knew, leaving this world realizing everything had been just a part on a play, and himself moving on to other matters...
Octavian during his rise to power: "I shall restore to Rome the ancient moral virtues that once made it great..." *Some years later* Octavian: "IS THERE ANYONE IN ROME WHO HAS NOT SLEPT WITH MY DAUGHTER?!"
I didn't notice until recently the the music intro is "the lick" from jazz fame. Excellent video, and I appreciate the clever additional illustrations.
The deconstructionism surrounding Augustus is amazing: maybe he built all those temples, abided the Roman republican institutions, exiled his friends once they violated dictat, *served as a priest of mars,* etc., because he actually believed in the Roman religion.
Given what we know of Augustus’s personality and actions, him using religion and virtue as tools to maintain power is more in line with his nature. But your point is always worth keeping in mind and may have even been a factor for Augustus. We’ll never know for certain.
If his last words were reported accurately (perhaps a big if) they seem to imply that he fully understood how to manipulate conventional morality for political gain. He played his part incredibly well, actually.
Very interesting video especially around the Ara Pacis that was completely painted. Augustus was very smart and it must be said that one of the keys of his long reign was that he was surrounded by by people that was loyal to him, in particular Agrippa, a very capable general, constructor, astute politician and perhaps a loyal friend...
Good show! I First saw pics of the Altar of Peace in art history class at The University of Oklahoma, USA. Professor Susan Caldwell was the excellent instructor. Hers was an art history, sociology, and political science class, all rolled into one life impressing student experience.
I recommend the Image of Augustus Susan Walker; Andrew Burnett from the 1981 exhibition at the British Museum. I first tried ti see the Ara Pacis in 1984 and it was surrounded by fencing, After many years returning I will never forget when the new glass structure was finished and it is a go too each trip, I still don't know why it was moved unless just to be next to the Mausoleum
Really great post, Garrett! Such an astute man Octavianus Augustus, found his equal in his wife, Livia, she was the "neck" who was turning "the head", her husband, in any direction she wanted. I would like so much to watch a post on her...
I visited the Ara Pacis on Tuesday (May 16). I could not get tickets online (the site is ridiculously bad) so i tried showing up. You can buy tickets at the musuem BUT cash only. Luckily, i had just enough. It was around 12 Euros. Well worth the price. Fabulous experience. The Mausoleum is the next lot over but it isn't accessible due to extensive restoration work.
I rarely comment on videos but I just want to say that this was deliciously written. The last few sentences reminded me of a gymnast sticking a perfect point landing.
you posted this in almost uncanny timing the day after I while in rome, purchased myself a silver coin of Augustus ! ( an interest originally sparked by you ) loved this video. Thanks for the content
Octavian kind of reminds me of President Snow in the Hunger Games series. He was a consummate survivor, slick, intelligent, and VERY canny about his optics, skilled at hiding the more unpleasant facts about himself, a master manipulator, and was generally rather slimy under the facade of wholesomeness.
It is truly ironic how Augustus's life became more miserable the more years he spent in power and the more powerful he became, as he began to suffer tragedies one after another: His nephew Marcellus and his grandsons Gaius and Lucius died young, his daughter Julia became a nymphomaniac and his other grandson Postumus a troublemaker whom he had to exile, was forced to make his obnoxious stepson Tiberius heir to the Empire, the Teutoborg disaster ruined his plan to conquer all Germany, etc. In fact, the 1976 series "I, Claudius" did a magnificent job depicting Augustus' fall from grace. In addition, the first episode of 1968 miniseries "The Caesars" opens by showing a depressed and tired of living Augustus who spends his last days of life begging outside the Imperial Temple to pass the time.
Yes he used to dress as a bigger once a year. A great way to help become humble. Too bad many CEO , millionaires and politicians don't try it. A great way to relate to the poor is to feel the poverty first hand.
On top of that, he was sickly during his whole life, being constantly in pain. The fact he achieved so much despite so many setbacks is a great testament to his will.
Thank you for your thoughtful presentation on Agustus , I awatched all of it while cooking -sp -sp - spa-ghetti with a basil-tomsto Romano chees sauce , here in beautiful Indiana .
Big fan of your book. Listened to it twice already. I would love to hear more about how investigations into crimes in Rome went down. What kind of evidence was seen as proof in court? Were there any famous detectives?
Courier: "I was in the 19th Legion with Varus in Germania, Caesar..." Augustus: "Was? Have you been transferred?" *Top 10 moments before Absolute Rage*
Really well done video as usual. Just a heads up, the beginning of a number of scenes there is a clipping of your initial audio, sometimes the first word of these sentences is missing
The procession of figures also includes a couple of non-Roman child hostages kidnapped from their families to ensure cooperation with Rome. They wear non-Roman clothes, have long hair and torcs about their necks. They could be Celtic, Rhaetian or Illyrian princes. Augustus had defeated many tribes in the Alpine regions just a few years earlier.
At first I thought that it was the Temple of Dendur in the Met in NYC. The position of the ancient monument in the modern building in front of the large window is very similar.
