Augustus
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Augustus (C. Octavius; Octavian): (b. 63 BC in Rome; d. AD 14). First Emperor of the Roman Empire. He was the son of the praetor Gaius Octavius and Atia, niece of Gaius Julius Caesar. Elected to the pontifical college in 48 BC, he campaigned with Caesar in Spain and in 45 BC fought the Pompeians at Munda. Upon his adoption by Caesar, he took on his adopted father’s name, becoming C. Julius Caesar Octavianus. In 38 BC, he formed the Second Triumvirate (triumviri rei publicae constituendae) with Marc Antony and Lepidus. In the initial division of the Roman world, Octavian’s portion included control over the island of Sicily. His contest with Sextus Pompey for control of this island proved important in securing his position in the west. His victory not only eliminated Sextus Pompey but also resulted in the ouster of Lepidus from the triumvirate and the ultimate conflict between with Antony for control of Rome. Octavian’s naval victory over Antony and Cleopatra secured his hold on ultimate power. Through shrewdness and intelligence, he ruled the Empire while maintaining at least the trappings of the Republic. Under his rule, the Empire flourished economically and healed its internal wounds. Art, literature and sciences flourished and political corruption was reduced to a considerable degree.
Octavian received the honorific title of Augustus from the Roman Senate in 27 BC, effectively beginning his reign as the first Roman Emperor. He would rule the Roman world until AD 14. Upon the death of Marcus Lepidus, he also assumed the principal Roman religious office of Pontifex Maximus. He had one surviving child, a daughter, Julia, by his second wife (Scribonia), whom he married to his heir-apparent of that time, Marcellus. In AD 14, Augustus was succeeded by his step-son Tiberius, the son of his third wife, Livia.
Southern Italy and Sicily figure into some of the most important events in Augustus’s career. In 36 BC, he landed at Tauromenium (mod. Taormina) during his successful campaign against Sextus Pompey. The campaign was finally ended with Pompey’s decisive defeat at the naval battle of Mylae (Milazzo). In 21 BC, Augustus established a Roman colony at Syracuse. It was at Nola, in Campania, that Augustus finally died of natural causes at the age of 76.