Augustus: The Republic Behind an Emperor
100 Lives That Shaped the World · Episode 14
- Historical Biographies
- 41 min
- Ages 12–99
- 10 chapters
About this audiobook
A biography of Octavian-Augustus that follows civil war, proscriptions, Actium, constitutional settlements, imperial administration, family policy, art, and the creation of durable one-man rule.
Why it's worth a listen
It asks how political language and institutions can disguise a transfer of power while keeping violence, slavery, collaboration, and public benefit in the same frame.
A question to keep
How did Octavian turn victory in civil war into one-man rule while claiming to restore the Roman Republic?
Chapters
- The Deeds Augustus Chose to Record
- Caesar's Unexpected Heir
- Triumvirs and Proscriptions
- Dividing the Roman World
- Cleopatra, Antony, and a Propaganda War
- Restoring a Republic That Had Changed
- Armies, Taxes, Roads, and Provinces
- Family Law and Social Control
- A City Made into an Argument
- The System Outlives Its Maker