First published 2006
Anthony Everitt focuses on Augustus the man rather than merely the era he dominated. The author traces how an inexperienced teenager, pulled from his studies after Julius Caesar's assassination, rose to become Rome's first emperor. Everitt shows Augustus working alongside his school friends Agrippa and Maecenas as he navigates the treacherous world of Roman politics. The biography follows his journey from Caesar's adopted heir through his climactic confrontation with Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Everitt argues that Augustus accomplished what few rulers have managed: transforming a chaotic republic into history's greatest empire while laying the groundwork for Western civilization. The author brings historical figures like Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Antony, and Cleopatra into sharp human focus, revealing the intrigue, violence, scandal, and ambition that drove their world. Everitt presents Augustus as both a political genius and a relatable human figure, offering readers a study of power that illuminates how one man reshaped the ancient world and influenced all subsequent history.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, political-science, ancient-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: power-struggle, rise-to-power
Setting: Rome, Roman Empire
Period: Ancient Rome
15 pages · Audio CD · Recorded Books