AUGUSTUS, CAESAR,

born Sept. 23, 63 BC died Aug. 19, AD 14, Nola, near Naples also called (until 27 BC) Octavian, original name Gaius Octavius, adopted name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus first Roman emperor, introduced an autocratic regime known as the principate (of which he was the princeps, or first citizen) which enabled him, working through institutions that were republican in outward form, to overhaul every aspect of Roman life, and to bring stability and prosperity to the Greco-Roman world. One of the great administrative geniuses of history, he centralized the power of the Roman empire of his day in Rome itself, and established the Pax Romana. A brief account of the life and works of Augustus follows; for a full biography, see Augustus. Octavian was born of a prosperous family and was named adoptive son and heir of Julius Caesar (his great-uncle) at age 18. In the power struggle that followed Caesar's death, he became (together with Mark Antony and Lepidus) one of three triumvirs governing a reconstituted Roman state (43 BC). After defeating Caesar's assassins, Brutus and Cassius, at Philippi (42), Octavian and Antony partitioned the empire, with Octavian receiving the west as his portion. Octavian then overcame various rivals, including Lepidus (in 32), and Antony and the queen of Egypt, Cleopatra (in 31), thus becoming ruler of the Greco-Roman world. From 31 to 23 he ruled as consul, thus preserving republican forms of government, but in 27 he accepted the title Augustus. In 23 he received imperial power (to be exercised in contingencies), as well as the power of tribune. He gradually reformed the administrative structure of the empire and added new territories, especially in Europe. By the time of his death, his adoptive son Tiberius had already become his successor in all but name. After death he was deified.