Inscription In Julius Caesar

The city of Rome had functioned as a republic for centuries, being ruled by a Senate. The reign of Julius Caesar throughout the first century was filled with rioting, conquests, and instability. In 44 BCE, he was named dictator of Rome, a title that made others jealous, fear that Caesar was becoming too powerful, and think that the rights of the Senate would soon diminish. It was because of this, that a group of Roman senators led by Brutus and Cassius assassinated Caesar by stabbing him. However, all was not restored as they had hoped and a rival between Julius Caesar’s nephew Octavian (who was his heir) and his trusted friend Marc Antony broke out as they engaged in a power struggle. Their conflict would last for years until Octavian finally …show more content…
A copy of their law passed by the local government dated 11 CE states the residents of Narbo (modern day Narbonne), “have bound themselves to worship his divine spirit in perpetuity!” It further states that every year, on the anniversary of his rule, three Roman equites and three freedmen will each sacrifice an animal on an altar erected in their forum. They are also to provide the people with incense and wine to celebrate and offer to Augustus’ “divine spirit.” The Inscription shows us that although the people of Narbo were conquered, they were content with their lives and the Roman Empire and thought that Augustus was an extraordinary …show more content…
In Dio Cassius’ Histora Romana, which was written years after his reign, he suggests Augustus’ rule was similar to that of a monarchy because all of the governmental power was in his hands. He felt Augustus manipulated the senate by promoting those who supported him into prominent positions within the government. Although elections for positions of power took place, Dio Cassuis felt that Augustus made sure that “no persons should hold office who were unfit or elected as the result of factious combinations or bribery.” Tacitus continues the negativity toward Augustus in “Annals,” by accusing him of taking advantage of the lack of loyalty to the republic after the death of Brutus and Cassius and enticing “the soldiers with gifts, the people with grain, and all men with the allurement of peace.” He suggests Augustus used this as a strategy to slowly grow in popularity among the Roman people and that no one dared to oppose him because the “most courageous had fallen in battle or in the proscription.” He goes on to say the more the noble people were in favor of slavery, the more wealth and higher office they held, which made them grow in favor of the revolution and appreciate the peace of the present instead of the unstable past. Tacitus says people were stripped of their equality and looked to the power of Augustus. In