The Age of Augustus

by Werner Eck

Overview

In this updated edition of his concise biography, Werner Eck tells the extraordinary story of Augustus, Rome's first monarch.

• Incorporates literary, archaeological, and legal sources to provide a vivid narrative of Augustus' brutal rise to power
• Written by one of the world's leading experts on the Roman empire
• Traces the history of the Roman revolution and Rome's transformation from a republic to an empire
• Includes a new chapter on legislation, further information on the monuments of the Augustan period, more maps and illustrations, and a stemma of Augustus' family
• Thorough, straightforward, and organized chronologically, this is an ideal resource for anyone approaching the subject for the first time

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781405151498
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	08/13/2007
Series:	Blackwell Ancient Lives , #7
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Werner Eck is Professor of Ancient History at Cologne University. He is one of the foremost Roman imperial historians in the world and his publications include Die Verwaltung des römischen Reiches in der Hohen Kaiserzeit (1995, 1998), Das senatus consultum de Cn. Pisone patre (with A. Caballos and F. Fernández, 1996), Tra epigrafia, prosopografia e archeologia: Scritti scelti, rielaborati ed aggiornati (1996) and Das römische Köln. Geschichte einer Stadt im Rahmen des Imperium Romanum (2004). He is co-editor of the Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments.

List of Illustrations.

List of Maps.

1. Augustus’ Career in Overview: The Res Gestae.

2. Modest Origins, Powerful Relatives.

3. Seizing Power and Legalizing Usurpation.

4. The Triumvirate: Dictatorship Sanctioned by Law.

5. The Path to Formal Legitimation as a Ruler.

6. The Final Battles for Power: Actium and Alexandria.

7. A New Political Order: The Principate Takes Shape.

8. The Principate Develops Further.

9. The Princeps and the Roman Elite.

10. The Practical Implementation of Political Power: Governing the Empire.

11. Shaping the Lives of Men.

12. A Standing Army.

13. War and Peace: Expanding the Empire.

14. Rome, the Augustan City.

15. The Quest for Political Continuity: The Succession.

16. Augustus’ Death and the Future of the Empire.

Time Line.

Appendix: The Res Gestae of Augustus.

The Res Gestae of Augustus by Sarolta A. Takács.

Select Bibliography.

Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for the first edition:

“[Eck’s] narrative (in this fine translation) is readable, rarely obscure and fluently glosses difficult terms and concepts in a way that obviates the need for a glossary. Moreover, he skillfully handles difficult constitutional matters … without confusing the beginner, points out controversial issues, and marks his divergences with current scholarly opinion.”
Bryn Mawr Classical Review

“The book provides a narrative of Augustus’ achievements and expenditures on behalf of the Roman res publica … Eck is of course a recognized authority. He is the pre-eminent Roman administrative historian, prosopographer, and epigraphist of our time.”
The Classical Journal

Editorial Reviews

"Eck has produced a second edition of The Age of Augustus good news, especially as this is not just the same lucid book of 2003 with additional bibliography, but has a new chapter, a section on the German wars, and new illustrative material, growing by more than forty pages." (Greece & Rome, 2008)

Praise for the first edition:

“[Eck’s] narrative (in this fine translation) is readable, rarely obscure and fluently glosses difficult terms and concepts in a way that obviates the need for a glossary. Moreover, he skillfully handles difficult constitutional matters … without confusing the beginner, points out controversial issues, and marks his divergences with current scholarly opinion.” (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)

“The book provides a narrative of Augustus’ achievements and expenditures on behalf of the Roman res publica … Eck is of course a recognized authority. He is the pre-eminent Roman administrative historian, prosopographer, and epigraphist of our time.” (The Classical Journal)

From the Publisher