Caesar Augustus: Seven Aspects (Clarendon Paperbacks)

by Fergus Millar

This book presents seven fresh and original views of Caesar Augustus, as the authors of the papers collected here consider the image which he presented of himself, how poets and historians reacted to him, the nature of his rule, and the representation of the newly established monarch among his subjects in the provinces. The contributors are well-known historians and Zvi Yavetz (Tel Aviv), Fergus Millar (Oxford), Claude Nicolet (Paris), Emilio Gabba (Pavia), Werner Eck (Cologne), Glen Bowersock (Princeton), and Jasper Griffin (Oxford). These papers were first given at a colloquium held at Wolfson College, Oxford, to celebrate the eightieth birthday of the late Sir Ronald Syme, author of The Roman Revolution (OUP 1939) and other seminal works. A substantial amount of documentation has been added in the notes, but the main texts retain the form in which they were given as lectures, and with it a freshness and immediacy in approaching a central moment in history from a number of new angles.

Paperback

First published August 9, 1984

About the author

Sir Fergus Millar was a British historian and Camden Professor of Ancient History Emeritus, Oxford University. Millar numbers among the most influential ancient historians of the 20th century.

Reviews

[James Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The papers in this volume provide a fascinating range of opinions on Augustus. All of them are interesting, but which most so will depend upon personal interest: I found Bowerstock's paper on the East and the succession very interesting as it raises further questions about Tiberius' complex accession and just how keen he was. I also enjoyed Griffin's paper on how the Augustan poets skirted around the demands of Augustus very interesting even though so lartge a subject could hardly be covered fully in a short paper.

The format could have been more consistent: some papers have quotations translated, others not. On the whole the use of copious end-notes for each chapter made following up ideas easy without allowing footnotes to intrude too far.

I would recommend this to anyone seeking a range of voices on a fascinating period, but the price is high for so slim a volume.