Memory And Moderation: The Imperial Image Of Augustus And Its Perception Among Later Authors
type: CreativeWork
description: Aware of the Roman people's weariness following decades of civil war, Augustus founded the Principate on the notion that the traditions of the Republic had been restored and that Augustus was not a monarch but an ordinary citizen serving his nation. This modest image of the emperor was characterized by his ceremonial refusal of honors and offices and his preservation of the Senate's dignity. However, the purpose of this thesis is not simply to examine the modest image of the emperor but rather to provide a detailed study of the memory of Augustus' moderation in the works of later authors. The first chapter will discuss Augustus' documentation of his moderate deeds in the Res Gestae and his attempt to preserve his legacy and provide an example for his successors to imitate. Similar depictions of his modesty are represented on coins and Augustan monuments such as the Ara Pacis Augustae and the so-called Laudatio Turiae. Lastly, this chapter will examine the poetic recusationes of Horace, Propertius, and Ovid as evidence of their skepticism regarding the sincerity of Augustus' political refusals. The second chapter will examine Pliny the Younger's political career under the tyrannical reign of Domitian and his praise of Trajan's moderation in the Panegyricus. Pliny exhibits signs of insincerity in his panegyric that resemble the methods of doublespeak used earlier by Horace, Ovid, and Statius. Pliny's false praise of Trajan's moderation reflects his suspicion of the Principate as a whole. The third chapter will discuss Tacitus' relationship with Agricola and his career under Domitian. Like Pliny, Tacitus is skeptical of imperial moderation but is more explicit in his condemnation. He criticizes the Principate for its feigned moderation and its capacity for cruelty. Tacitus attributes these problems of the Principate to its founder Augustus while criticizing his false modesty with a literary recusatio. The fourth chapter will discuss Suetonius' career as an imperial sec…
abstract: Aware of the Roman people's weariness following decades of civil war, Augustus founded the Principate on the notion that the traditions of the Republic had been restored and that Augustus was not a monarch but an ordinary citizen serving his nation. This modest image of the emperor was characterized by his ceremonial refusal of honors and offices and his preservation of the Senate's dignity. However, the purpose of this thesis is not simply to examine the modest image of the emperor but rather to provide a detailed study of the memory of Augustus' moderation in the works of later authors. The first chapter will discuss Augustus' documentation of his moderate deeds in the Res Gestae and his attempt to preserve his legacy and provide an example for his successors to imitate. Similar depictions of his modesty are represented on coins and Augustan monuments such as the Ara Pacis Augustae and the so-called Laudatio Turiae. Lastly, this chapter will examine the poetic recusationes of Horace, Propertius, and Ovid as evidence of their skepticism regarding the sincerity of Augustus' political refusals. The second chapter will examine Pliny the Younger's political career under the tyrannical reign of Domitian and his praise of Trajan's moderation in the Panegyricus. Pliny exhibits signs of insincerity in his panegyric that resemble the methods of doublespeak used earlier by Horace, Ovid, and Statius. Pliny's false praise of Trajan's moderation reflects his suspicion of the Principate as a whole. The third chapter will discuss Tacitus' relationship with Agricola and his career under Domitian. Like Pliny, Tacitus is skeptical of imperial moderation but is more explicit in his condemnation. He criticizes the Principate for its feigned moderation and its capacity for cruelty. Tacitus attributes these problems of the Principate to its founder Augustus while criticizing his false modesty with a literary recusatio. The fourth chapter will discuss Suetonius' career as an imperial sec…
author: Cretella, Frank Joseph
keywords: Augustus; Cassius Dio; moderation; Pliny; Suetonius; Tacitus
date published: 2015-05-27T07:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:59:30Z
provider: City University of New York - Graduate Center
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York