Two thousand years ago, Rome was the greatest nation in the world. It had remained a republic for hundreds of years. Augustus Caesar changed Rome to the status of an empire and henceforth, Rome was ruled by emperors. Augustus was born in 63 B.C. His name was Octavian, and he was the adopted son of Julius Caesar, the great general and statesman who ruled Rome as dictator before Octavian. After the murder of Julius Caesar, Rome was controled by three men, namely, Mark Anthony, Lepidus and Octavian. The Roman senate gave Octavian the title,

Augustus,” which means great or majestic, and named the eighth month of the year August, in his honor; and because his family name was Caesar, he was known as Augustus Caesar. Prior to his attainment of power, he fought and defeated Mark Anthony and forced Lepidus to resign, in order to gain his objective. Augustus never wore a crown nor called himself king or emperor; yet he had all the power of an emperor.

Augustus was one of Rome’s greatest leaders. He set up an excellent postal system, built many roads, beautiful marble temples and palaces, as well as created a good police force and fire system in the city of Rome, the capital of the empire. He was the first ruler who encouraged and inspired the colonists to settle in the empty lands of the empire and established a fair and honest system of taxes. He also encouraged writers and artists, including Horace, Virgil, Ovid and Livy.

The age of Augustus was an age of splendor. He planned and initiated financial reforms and established a certain tradition of lawfulness and honesty in the bureaucracy, as well as curbed the tyranny and other forms of corruption by giving the provincial citizen the right to appeal to Caesar.

During his reign, Augustus fixed the European boundaries of the empire along the Rhine and Danube. The old machinery of the constitution was once again set in motion, the senate, assembly and other instruments of power were restored of their legitimate function, and because of such reforms, Augustus was hailed as the “restorer of the commonwealth and the champion of freedom.”

Augustus refused to be considered as a dictator, and unlike his predecessor, he positioned himself closer to the side of the lawfully appointed magistrates of the republic, maintaining his dignity, while gaining the respect of the citizens throughout the period of his reign until his death in the year 14 A.D.