The Roman History: The Reign of Augustus (Classics)
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Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of Rome (27 BC-AD 14), brought peace and prosperity to his city after decades of savage civil war. This selection from Cassius Dio's Roman History gives the fullest description of that long struggle and ultimate triumph - detailing the brutal battles and political feuds that led to the collapse of Rome's 400-year-old republic, and Augustus' subsequent reign as emperor. Included are accounts of military campaigns from Ethiopia to Yugoslavia, and of long conflict with Antony and Cleopatra. With skill and artistry, Dio brings to life many speeches from the era - among them Augustus' damning indictment of Antony's passion for the Egyptian queen - and provides a fascinating account of the debate between the great general Agrippa and Maecenas on the virtues of republicanism and monarchy.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Cassius Dio was a Roman senator and imperial administrator of Greek origin who lived in the third century AD. He wrote a Roman History that ran from the mythical foundation of the city to his own time. This edition includes books 50 to 56, covering the end of the first century BC civil wars and the reign of Augustus.
Cassius Dio is an invaluable written source on the period, as one of only three extant surviving narrative pieces on it. Readers expecting to gain a complete, or even an accurate, view of Augustus based on his books, however, should beware. This only offers material to be considered alongside other, sometimes conflicting sources (Suetonius, Tacitus, the Res Gestae, or more easily digestible secondary works). Cassius Dio's format, furthermore, can be difficult to follow, alternating between annalistic writing and thematic information presented as dialogues or speeches. The dialogues, of course, are invented, and were a typical tool of ancient writers to present views and analysis without seeming to do so in their own voice. Long exposés by Agrippa and Maecenas, for example, serve as a description of Augustus' constitutional innovations and the system of imperial rule. But whereas Thucydides, the first to use such speeches, could claim to have heard the originals or spoken to people who had, Cassius Dio could have done no such thing after 200 years. Thus anachronisms crept into his text, such as on provincial organisation and government, or the legions' list.
This is to be read by people already well versed in the topic. And by the way, the Varus episode and the loss of the `German' legions occupies only about three pages of this book.
Cassius Dio is an invaluable written source on the period, as one of only three extant surviving narrative pieces on it. Readers expecting to gain a complete, or even an accurate, view of Augustus based on his books, however, should beware. This only offers material to be considered alongside other, sometimes conflicting sources (Suetonius, Tacitus, the Res Gestae, or more easily digestible secondary works). Cassius Dio's format, furthermore, can be difficult to follow, alternating between annalistic writing and thematic information presented as dialogues or speeches. The dialogues, of course, are invented, and were a typical tool of ancient writers to present views and analysis without seeming to do so in their own voice. Long exposés by Agrippa and Maecenas, for example, serve as a description of Augustus' constitutional innovations and the system of imperial rule. But whereas Thucydides, the first to use such speeches, could claim to have heard the originals or spoken to people who had, Cassius Dio could have done no such thing after 200 years. Thus anachronisms crept into his text, such as on provincial organisation and government, or the legions' list.
This is to be read by people already well versed in the topic. And by the way, the Varus episode and the loss of the `German' legions occupies only about three pages of this book.
45 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In addition to the above, Dio covers the Varian disaster of 9 AD in Teutoburger Wald, where 3 Roman legions were lost under the leadership of the Governor Publius Quintillius Varus. Varus had been appointed governor by Augustus on the strength of family ties and a talent for extracting taxes rather than military ability, and Augustus bitterly regretted it later.
Fascinating to read about the Emperor's reaction to the news, and his grasp of the ultimate significance of the loss (i.e., Germany became too dangerous to invade, and so was excluded from the Romanised world). This book not only gives a superbly detailed account of the first Emperor, but also shows how the seeds of Rome's downfall were sown in the first 10 years of the christian calendar. You can also trace the beginnings of virtually every major medeival and modern war from this period in Roman history.
A uniquely compelling read.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Dio's Roman History:the reign of Augustus, is an essential read in the range of Roman history texts which cover this important era in Roman history when the Republic came to an end and the Empire began.
Dio stands in strong contrast to Tacitus writing of the same period in that Dio isn't anywhere near as entertaining and appears far more pragmatic although as other reviewers have noted the style is one of history as a consequence of the fitness of the rulers to rule. As such, there is nothing wrong with this, it must be remembered that at the time Dio lived the Empire was in dire straits after the succession of Severus to be followed by a virtual plague of civil wars and barbarian attacks which were overcome with difficulty and it stands as a testimony to the rulers during this period that the Empire survived. This then is the viewpoint from which Dio writes. He doesn't let Augustus appear too much of a demi-god but also brings out his weaknesses and does not just praise him but rather explains how he was able to reign so well with the help of extremely able men such as Agrippa and Maecenas and the leadership of Drusus.
Unfortunately, the book is interspersed with numerous "created" speeches which don't ring true, rather different from Tacitus where they certainly sound more genuine. Also it covers far better the events in the capital than in the provinces and more detail as regards the campaigns in Germany would have been illuminating.
Nonetheless, a good book, well worth it for a study of the style of Roman scholarship of the time.
Dio stands in strong contrast to Tacitus writing of the same period in that Dio isn't anywhere near as entertaining and appears far more pragmatic although as other reviewers have noted the style is one of history as a consequence of the fitness of the rulers to rule. As such, there is nothing wrong with this, it must be remembered that at the time Dio lived the Empire was in dire straits after the succession of Severus to be followed by a virtual plague of civil wars and barbarian attacks which were overcome with difficulty and it stands as a testimony to the rulers during this period that the Empire survived. This then is the viewpoint from which Dio writes. He doesn't let Augustus appear too much of a demi-god but also brings out his weaknesses and does not just praise him but rather explains how he was able to reign so well with the help of extremely able men such as Agrippa and Maecenas and the leadership of Drusus.
Unfortunately, the book is interspersed with numerous "created" speeches which don't ring true, rather different from Tacitus where they certainly sound more genuine. Also it covers far better the events in the capital than in the provinces and more detail as regards the campaigns in Germany would have been illuminating.
Nonetheless, a good book, well worth it for a study of the style of Roman scholarship of the time.
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