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Augustus: First Emperor of Rome Hardcover – August 26, 2014

by Adrian Goldsworthy (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 66 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 624 pages
  • Publisher: Yale University Press; 1st edition (August 26, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0300178727
  • ISBN-13: 978-0300178722
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.5 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsPax Augustus: Augustus the Soldier and Augustus the Statesman
By Paul Krause on August 24, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Goldsworthy's Augustus breaks away from the more traditional narrative of Augustus – that he was walking in the footsteps of Julius Caesar, his adopted uncle and famous Roman general and dictator, even if he takes the time to discuss Augustus's father's life, and a quick overview of Julius Caesar's rise and fall from power. Goldsworthy, however, is not afraid to be critical and harsh in pronouncement and judgment at the brutality and harshness of his actions and rule. Yet, he is equal in his assessment of the great positives of the emperor’s life and rule, as well as the hopeful optimism that great Roman figures had, like Cicero, Virgil, or Horace, upon hearing the news of Antony’s death and Cleopatra’s suicide (pp. 196-198), “The poets reflected an almost universal desire for a return to peace and stability after so many long years of upheaval and violence” (p. 197). After all, Goldsworthy is clear that violence and brutality in Roman politics was the norm, especially in Part One that deals with Caius Octavius, Julius Caesar, Cicero, Pompey, Catiline, among other notables in Roman history.

Moving all the way to Part Four of his biography, Goldsworthy highlights how Augustus took a tired and depleted Roman state, having been wrought over the past two and half decades with civil war and unrest, and turned it into a prosperous and stable “empire.” He also, in a way, shies away from the old narrative that he was remaking Rome into its old republican culture, but is clear to emphasize his renewal and revivalist campaigns that aimed at harkening back to the older days of the republic. In many ways, Dr. Goldsworthy shows how Augustus was a revolutionary and enlightened leader, possible foreshadowing what will happen in France in the late eighteenth century.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsMostly good, often superb, at times unconvincing
By JPS on August 31, 2014
Format: Hardcover
This book is a remarkable, skilful and very rich piece of scholarship which is targeted at the general public. It is written in plain and clear English. It is a rather easy read and contains maps, diagrams of Rome, genealogical trees and plenty of photos to support the main text.

It also makes a host of excellent points. To mention just a few, one of these is about the changing faces (and names) of Augustus, or rather Octavius, since this was his real family name. Another is that his reign, for lack of a better word, was hugely successful in bringing peace and ushering in prosperity to such an extent that it would be seen as some kind of “Golden Age” during the next centuries of what became the Roman Empire. A third is the skill with which Adrian Goldsworthy shows Augustus as a highly efficient politician and a master of spin and propaganda. There are also many other important points which are just as well made throughout the book.

One slight reservation, however, is the author’s claim that this this book is a biography, rather than the “life and times of Augustus”. In fact, it is at least both, and perhaps more of the later. Note that this is not a problem at all since the picture that the author draws of these “life and times” is a rather fascinating one. He also presents what is essentially the history of Rome and the achievements of the character he is dealing with during this period, with the two (the history and the achievements) being so intertwined that it is difficult to separate them without making the book significantly less entertaining. So, despite the author’s claims, the end result is worthy of praise, even if it is not exactly “what it says on the tin.” A similar comment can be made about the book’s subtitle - “from Revolutionary to Emperor”.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsWhen in Rome...
By FictionFan TOP 500 REVIEWER on September 1, 2014
Format: Hardcover
“…as military dictators go, Caesar Augustus was not such a bad one.”

Great-nephew and principal heir to Julius Caesar, Augustus was just nineteen when Caesar was murdered, but it seems he was never in doubt of his right to take over the honours of the older man. His early career was as a warlord, using the wealth he had inherited and borrowing extensively to ensure that he had the largest army as the Roman republic descended into civil war. He was also helped by the loyalty of Julius Caesar’s troops – a loyalty they were willing, on the whole, to extend to his heir. Having at length achieved internal peace, Augustus’ later career was as a (fairly) benevolent military dictator who brought stability to Rome and enabled it to extend and, to some degree, pacify the empire.

Adrian Goldsworthy is a recognised scholar of ancient Rome and has a doctorate from Oxford University in ancient military history. Although this is a period I know nothing about, it quickly becomes clear that the book has been thoroughly researched. While concentrating on Augustus himself, Goldsworthy takes time to set his story well into the period, giving plenty of information about the period before Augustus rose to prominence, so that the newcomer gets a real feeling for the society that he was operating within. As always with histories of so long ago, the source documents are limited and often even they were written a considerable time after the events. Goldsworthy acknowledges this and reminds the reader of the effect of contemporary and later propaganda on the picture left behind of such a prominent figure as Augustus. As he says “As always with the ancient world, it is easier to say what he did than it is to understand the man’s inner thoughts and character.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsAdran Goldsworthy Anything is Good and Augustus was Facinating, So You...

I was going to give this four stars, but Adrian Goldsworthy is a scholar that I think earns the fifth. Read more

Published 3 days ago by Anĉjo
5.0 out of 5 starsAdrian Goldsworthy here was written another great biography from the...

Adrian Goldsworthy here was written another great biography from the cradle to the grave. First the young ruthless warlord Octavian, who owed much to his famous father's (from... Read more

Published 24 days ago by Lucy Diaz
4.0 out of 5 starsVery good history by someone who loves the era and presents ...

Very good history by someone who loves the era and presents it like a treasured neighborhood. Could use an editor (BC and AD dates often mangled, too long). Read more

Published 2 months ago by g j houstn
5.0 out of 5 starsBetter, it describes the limitations of our sources

Really extensive, and does not go beyond the data. Better, it describes the limitations of our sources. But it brings it all together for this. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Reader/Writer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

well written with a great deal of information...Goldsworthy did a wonderful job again

Published 4 months ago by Joe Smucinski
5.0 out of 5 starsThorough, detailed biography - very accessible to interested layman...

This is very thorough - yet accessible - biography of Augustus. Goldsworthy gives us a detailed chronological biography, beginning before Augustus birth with an intro to his... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Ambrose
5.0 out of 5 starsHail to the definitive biography on Augustus!

As usual, Adrian Goldsworthy takes a topic with so much information that could easily make it a dry and tedious book, but instead, makes it a compelling read from start to finish. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Chris Barham
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

great read.

Published 5 months ago by badmacktuck
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Lovely work as always by Mr. Goldsworthy.

Published 5 months ago by Jon Godfrey
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

marvelous biography by the best Roman era historian

Published 6 months ago by Donald Katz

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