Augustan Age

Caesar's Assassination
Tillius Cimber had come to Caesar in the Senate Chamber to ask for him to repeal the exile on his brother. He then grabbed Caesar's tunic, and along with other Senators stabbed Caesar 23 times and killed him. Afterwards, Brutus went out to the Roman people and proclaimed "We are now free!" Marc Antony the displayed a wax statue of Caesar's stabbed body in the forum and the people quickly became enraged, burning the forum and other neighboring buildings. Five civil wars would soon ensue and the formation of the Roman Empire would begin with the fall of the Roman Republic.


War with the Tyrannicides
On November 26 43 BC the Second Triumvirate was formed with Octavian, Marc Antony, Marcus Aerulius Lepidus. It was formed to kill Caesar's assassins, to secure the empire. The battle of Phillipi in Macedonia followed in 42 BC between Octavian and Marc Antony's against Caesar's assassins. Here on the plains of Phillipi, the army of Brutus and Cassi-us was utterly defeated, and the Tyrannicides were vanquished from then on out. Antony controlled the east and Octavian returned to Italy to control Rome.


The War With Antony
While Antony's war in Parthia had turned utterly chaotic, Octavian offered 2,000 legionaries to him to replenish his troops. Antony on the other hand though declined, and turned to Cleopatra for help as she had more troops and was in an affair with him already. Octavian then spread propaganda that Antony was no longer a Roman but more of an Egyptian, and also said that he would step down as triumvirate if Antony would to which Antony declined. All this played in Octavian's favor as the Senate backed him in war against Antony in 32 BC, and gained a major victory in the naval battle of Actium in 31 BC. Antony then returned to Egypt and committed suicide by sword and Cleopatra by snake bite.


Battle of Actium
The Battle of Actium was fought between Octavian's fleet and Cleopatra and Marc Antony's fleet on September 2 31BC. Marcus Agrippa was the naval commander for Octavians fleet backed Antony's fleet back into the Arcanian coast, forcing him to fight. Both of the forces had about the same strength, but Antony's forces were severely weakened from a strong bout of malaria started about a week before the battle. Being surrounded though, Antony's ships did not have much movement room and this along with the failed use of grapples cost them dearly. Antony eventually saw a gap in Agrippas fleet and sped through it leaving his army to fend for itself.


Construction of the Forum of Augustus
The start of the idea of the new forum began with Octavian promising that he would build a new temple to honor the god Mars during the Battle of Philipi in 42BC. When he became emperor in 27 BC he plaaned for the temple to be built in a new forum named after himself. The construction of the new forum began in 20BC, at the same time recovering the standards lost to the Parthians by Crassus. His plans were altered slightly as he ran into the problems of land owners owning the plot of land he wanted to build the forum on. He did not take the land though, but worked around it which in the long run saved him costs and made him look like a valiant man of the people. The forum was constructed around 2BC.


The Campus Martius
The Field of Mars was 490 acres of publicly owned land, and during the Middle Ages was the most populous region of Rome. The land was once owned by the last king of Rome but was taken away during the establishing of the Republic. Pompey built the first stone theatre, the Curia Hostilia, in 52BC which was used for some Senate meetings and was also the place Julius Caesar was murdered. During Augustus reign it was divided into 14 regions. The Baths of Agrippa were built out of the original swampy ground, the Aura Pacis was built to signify peace between the Senate and Augustus, the Pantheon was also built there and later rebuilt by Hadrian, and the Mausoleum of Augustus was built in the unpopulated part of the land for Caesar's future burial ground to help endure his legacy throughout the ages.


Augustus' Death
Augustus adopted Gaius and Lucius Caesar as his two sons to become his apparent heirs, as he could bear none of his own brood. Unfortunately for Augustus though both his adopted sons died along with his brother Drusus. Tiberius in turn was adopted by Augustus and named the heir to the Roman Empire. The only other option was Postumus Agrippa, whom Augustus officially disowned on 7AD. On August 19 14AD Augustus died visiting the place of death of his father. His last words were "Have I played the part well?-Then applaud my exit." He was cremated on a pyre close to his mausoleum and joined the gods in the Pantheon.