ESSAY QUESTION 2: How accurate is the picture of Augustus as presented in his writings and those of other writers?.
Augustus was acknowledged as the most powerful man in the Roman world after defeating the alliance of Marcus Anthony and the queen of Egypt. Later, he was given the title as the first emperor of Rome. To the Romans, August was more than a mere ruler; he was the Roman's only hope for prosperity. (Jones & Sidwell, 1997, p. 49). Augustus claimed that entire Roman citizens called him "pater patriae", the father of the country (Augustus Achievements ex. 35). However, not all historians would agree with Augustus' picture of himself since there were many depictions of him, either praising or reprimanding him. In this essay, I will elaborate on the accuracy of Augustus' picture presented in the sources by comparing the evidence, which not all biased. .
Firstly, there is debate among historians respecting on Augustus' picture that gives us information about how he acquired powerful positions in his era. Augustus alleged that he never once accepted positions that ever been offered to him as those were contrary to his ancestors' customs (Augustus Achievements ex. 5, 6). In fact, he was holding several major positions for years, which necessarily only can be held by one person and once in a lifetime. When Augustus was 19, both consuls at that time had fallen in the battle, resulted in his establishment to the consulship and became "triumvir" to restore the system of the republic in Rome (Augustus Achievements ex. 1). Augustus insisted that he was told by the senate and the people to be a solo leader (Augustus Achievements ex. 5, 6) and again he refused it. However, It could be assumed that he gained all the supports by bribing the people since he offered them with wealth, affordable food, and peace. In addition, Tacitus (Annals ex. 2) claimed that he also seduced the army by gifts.
