Rome is preparing to mark two-thousand years since the death of its first emperor. Augustus was the founder of the Roman Empire and is widely credited with bringing peace and security during his 41-year rule.
Augustus was the founder of the Roman Empire and is widely credited with bringing peace and security during his 41-year rule.
Emperor Augustus again towers over the temple he once built.
Two millennia since his death, a special sound and light show in the Forum of Augustus is celebrating his legacy. Orginally named Gaius Octavianus, Augustus ruled for 41 years before his death in 14 AD.
The light show tells the story of how Augustus came to power when he was 18, after the assassination of his uncle and adopted father, Julius Caesar.
"Julius Caesar was very ambitious and Octavian was equally ambitious but he was more like a wolf in sheep's clothing in that he hid his ambition a little bit better," Laura Weinstein, Roman holiday tours said.
"oh, I don't want to have too much power, I am just here to help, we've had a lot of crazy stuff going on in this civil war, I just want to fix things up and we're going to go back to that democracy period as soon as possible, don't worry about it.' So in this way he calmed the people's fears about the fact that all of a sudden in reality we had essentially one Julio-Claudian dynasty, one royal family that had all the power."
The Greek word "euangelion" became a part of imperial rhetoric during the reign of Augustus. It means 'good news' and is used to honor his achievements to bring peace and stability to the empire, and demand loyalty from his subjects.
Along the Tiber River in Rome stands the beautiful ancient monument Ara Pacis. This Altar to Peace was built as a reminder of the calm that Augustus brought to the empire.
"In the end he ruled for 41 years, so he must have done something right and not only that he ruled for 41 years and did something right, but in retrospect we call this the era of peace, the golden age of Rome," Laura Weinstein said.
Some of the techniques Augustus used to maintain power were later imitated by other leaders, from Napoleon to Mussolini - they include using his own image for propaganda.
Augustus's legacy and his story draw thousands of tourists to Rome every year. Events marking the 2000th anniversary of Augustus's death run until October 21st.
