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AUGUSTUS
CAESAR
AUGUSTUS CAESAR
EDGEMUN III
THE CHAIRS
MINA LEE ‘18
Welcome to EdgeMUN! I am a sophomore
at Edgemont High School. This is my first
year on Model UN, and it has been a new
and interesting experience for me. Outside
of Model UN, I participate in debate, including Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas,
and a number of other forms. I’m really
looking forward to chairing this committee, and am expecting some great ideas and
discussions. The fate of Rome lies in your
hands!
SANA SALIMI ‘18
Hello delegates! I am a sophomore at Edgemont High School, and this is my first
year on Model UN. Outside of school and
Model UN, I like to read, travel, and swim.
This committee is unique because delegates
have the opportunity to alter the course of
Roman history. Prior research is essential
to this topic, but do not feel constrained by
what actually took place. I look forward to
directing this committee and wish you all
good luck!
Salvete, delegates! This committee will be taking place in the year 43 BCE, at
one of the peaks of political turmoil following the brutal assassination of the
Dictator Julius Caesar. However, the delegates of this committee will come
from various time periods, each delegate bringing a unique perspective to the
situation at hand. This committee has the opportunity to alter the course of
history. You will be asked to take into account the consequences of the past,
present, and you will be privy to knowledge of the future as well. You and
your fellow delegates will be asked to carefully draw up a course of action that
you believe would bring Rome the greatest glory. Good luck, and
bonam fortunam!
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AUGUSTUS CAESAR
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racy, also known as the patrician class, reigned over the
peasant class, also known as plebeians. A strict emphasis
was put on the separation of the patricians from the
plebeians. The government was run by a Senate composed of members of the patrician class, who elected two
consuls, the highest positions of government office. Consequently, plebeians had little to no say in governmental
affairs. As the Republic progressed, plebeians slowly
gained their rights, and were even eligible to
become consuls, but the patrician class always
had the ability to purchase land and power,
and thus continued to dominate politics1.
During the republic, there were two
separate popular assemblies: the centuriate
assembly and the tribal assembly2. The Comitia Centuriata was the military assembly,
which primarily exercised power over war
and peace, as well as the ability to elect consuls, praetors, and censors, as well as being
considered to be appeals of capital convictions. The Comitia Centuriata was composed
of both patricians and plebeians. They were assigned
to classes and groups of 100, called centuriae. Groups
were determined by wealth and equipment that could be
provided for military duty. The Comitia Tributa was a
non-military assembly that elected magistrates who did
not exercise military power, otherwise known as imperium, a power that includes plebeian tribunes, plebeian
aediles, and quaestors2. The Comitia Tributa dealt with
legislating, and it functioned as a court for serious public
offenses that involved monetary fines. The Roman Republic emphasized a separation of powers, and incorporated the first ideas of ‘checks and balances. Additional
fundamental ideas driving law were developed during
the Roman Republic, such as codifying of the Twelve
INTRODUCTION
Salvēte. The year is 43 BCE, and we are entering
debate at an extremely tumultuous time in the history
of Rome. Caesar Divi Filius Augustus is on the brink
of moving into the position of emperor, marking the
end of the Roman Republic and the dawn of the Roman Empire. Although he has won the favour of the
general public, the change from a republic to an empire
is a drastic one. This is a crisis oriented
committee. It is our duty to come together
and, in accordance with each participant’s
political, moral and militaristic views, open
discourse and decide what action, if any at
all, should be taken. You shall shape history. You shall decide how the world will
carry on. You are the future of Rome. The
delegates of this committee are from various periods in Roman history, and each has
a unique voice that is vital to the direction
of the committee. The delegates have full
knowledge of the events prior, during, and
after their lifetimes, up until the time right after the fall
of the Roman Empire. This delegation has the power
and unique opportunity to remold history by discussing what they feel would be the best course of action in
expanding Roman history, and ultimately bringing the
highest glory to Rome and her people.
REIGN AND FALL OF THE REPUBLIC
The reign of the Roman Republic began in 509
BCE, when the Romans overthrew the Etruscans who
had been ruling over them for hundreds of years. It was
the distaste that the Romans had for the Etruscan monarchy that ultimately drives Roman politics away from
monarchies. In the early Roman Republic, the aristoc-
1. “The Roman Republic.” Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.
2. “Comitia Centuriata | Ancient Roman Assembly.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.
3. “Roman Republic | Ancient State [509 BC-27 BC].” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
Image: www.oneonta.edu/faculty/farberas/arth/ARTH209/augustus.html
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Tables in 499 BCE, the first Roman laws to be written
down, which ensured equal protection under the law for
all citizens.
At the end of the 5th century BCE, Romans
expanded their land into the Etruscan states. Rome’s
first two wars were fought in Fidenae and Velli, a town
near Rome and an important Etruscan city respectively3.
The Romans were temporarily setback when a Gallic
tribe sacked Rome in 390 BCE, but after paying them
a ransom of gold, and forty years of fighting in Latium
and Etruria, Rome’s power was restored. As they became
increasingly domineering, the Latins took up arms to
defend their own freedom, but the Latin war (340-338
BCE) was quickly won by the Romans, subsequently
making the Romans the largest power in central Italy.
Rome spent the next decade or so expanding outwards
through conquest and colonization. After Rome fought
three wars with the Samnites, and following the three
Pyrrhic wars against the Greeks, the Romans became the
primary power in Italy.
Julius Caesar entered Roman politics in 77 BCE.
In 67 BCE he married Pompeia, a distant relative of
Gnaeus Pompeius, also known as Pompey the Great.
This union, however distant, was one of the first signs of
a potential alliance between Caesar and Pompey. Along
with Marcus Licinius Crassus, the First Triumvirate was
formed in 60 BCE. A political coalition cemented by
marriages, the Triumvirate was established primarily
to handle specific administrative tasks that would have
normally be handled by the Roman Magistrates. The
forming of the First Triumvirate, along with the rise of
popular tribunes and private armies, the Roman Republic began its decline4. Caesar eventually broke off from
the First Triumvirate, and his crossing of the Rubicon
River in January of 49 BCE launched Rome into a civil
war. When Pompey lost the fight to Caesar at the Battle
of Pharsalus August 9, 48 BCE, the Roman Republic was
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effectively ended. In February of 44 BCE, Caesar declared himself dictator for life, consequently turning the
Senate against him. He was ultimately assassinated by
sixty senators, further exacerbating political turmoil in
Rome.
Caesar’s assassination left the Senate in an immediate state of panic5. Marcus Junius Brutus, one of
Caesar’s assassins, and a man whom Caesar had once
regarded as a son, addresses the Senate in order to try
to explain the reasons behind the conspiracy, and urged
them to celebrate this deed as an act of liberation and
honor. However, fearing backlash from the people, the
remaining senators fled to Capitoline hill in order to
hide from the potential anger of the Roman mob, but
rather than struggling with overwhelming backlash from
the Romans, the conspirators’ most prominent complication was the execution of their plans. They had had no
tangible plan for seizing power, which created an immediate power vacuum which spurred uncertainty and fear.
In 44 BCE, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus maintained order
in the streets until the Senate gathered on March 16th to
try to establish a new order before Roman politics completely unraveled.
Lepidus, remaining loyal to Caesar, argued
against the assassins, but Cicero, one of the greatest
orators of time, managed to convince the Senate to
compromise in attempt to preserve the Republic. Brutus,
the symbolic leader behind the conspiracy, and Cassius,
the driving man behind the plot, were given power over
Crete and Africa respectively. Marcus Antonius, also
known as Marc Antony, served as a consul for the remains of the Republic alongside Lucius Scribonius Libo
in support of Publius Cornelius Dolabella, a man who
was later superseded by Cassius after being declared an
enemy of the Republic.
RISE AND REIGN OF THE EMPIRE
4. “Lecture 26: Fall of the RomanRepublic, 133-27 BC.” H102_25 Fall of the Roman Republic, 133-27 BC. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
5. “Aftermath.” Aftermath. Unrv.org, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
6. Silver, Carly. “Augustus.” About.com Ancient/Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
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When Caesar declared himself dictator for life,
he also appointed an heir in order to further secure his
position6. While Marc Antony had expected to be named
heir himself, Julius Caesar adopted Gaius Octavius, the
grandson of Caesar’s sister, also known as Octavian and
later as Imperator Augustus Caesar, found out only after
Caesar’s death that he had been chosen as Caesar’s heir.
When he first came to power, his legacy as the grandnephew of the great political power, Julius Caesar, had
minimal impact. He created a strategic union with Marc
Antony, who was a very ambitious military general at
the time. After defeating many enemies and opponents
in Rome, and chasing the rest to Greece, Octavian and
Marc Antony won the empire and divided the spoils.
Octavian took control of
Rome, while Marc Antony
went to Africa, later falling under the spell of the
beautiful Egyptian queen,
Cleopatra.
After many conflicts, battles and wars,
and being consul from every year between 31-23 BCE,
Octavian was named emperor on January 16, 17 BCE,
marking the dawn of the Roman Empire6. Augustus
established a principate, combining elements of the
republic with those of a traditional monarchy7. Although
the Senate was still functioning, it lost much of its power
and control. As princeps, Augustus dominated control
of the government. The stamp of the Roman Empire was
the extensive system of imperial power, which included a
complex hierarchy of magistrates and provincial governors. Augustus and the position of emperor was deified,
and Rome began to prosper once again. He strength-
ened the base of his rule by centralizing power around
himself, and created a system that would allow the vast
amounts of territories of the Roman Empire to be linked
back to the capital. His system allowed for territories of
Rome to have some independence while still controlling
their subjection to Roman taxes and military control,
proving to be quite efficient in the maintaining of the
Roman Empire.
At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from
Mesopotamia in the east, to the Iberian Peninsula in
the west, and the Rhine and Danube rivers in the north,
to Africa in the south. The Roman Empire rested on a
solid and preeminent army. Intellectual advancements
in fields such as law were also
recognized. The complete
codification of Roman law allowed it to adapt for a variety
of functions, including commerce, agriculture, mail delivery, pedestrian traffic, and
military movements7. Cities
achieved unprecedented levels
of hygiene, and Roman architecture flourished lavishly. Cicero’s speeches, Livy and
Tactus’ histories, Terence’s dramas and Virgil’s poetry
were all examples of Latin, the Roman language, playing
a fundamental role in the legacy of Rome and its empire
as well. Augustus Caesar laid the foundation for the 200
year Pax Romana, also known as the Roman Peace, and
the 1,500 year empire8.
backtracking to the battle of
phillippi
The Battle of Philippi was fought in 42 BCE as
one of the consequences of political turmoil that was
7. “Roman Empire | Ancient State [27 BC-476 AD].” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
8. “Augustus.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
9. Cartwright, Mark. “The Battle of Philippi 42 BCE.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 25 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Jan.
2016.
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Cesar-sa_mort.jpg
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AUGUSTUS CAESAR
stirred up by the assassination of Julius Caesar9. The
all-Roman affair was fought between Octavian and
Marc Antony on one side, trying to fight for power and
control of Rome, and Brutus and Cassius on the other,
working to defend what remained of the Roman Republic. The battle involved the clash between 36 legions, the
largest Roman army to ever fight.
In 44 BCE, Marc Antony had formed an alliance in order to take revenge on Caesar’s assassins, and
after reconciliation with the conspirators, Marc Antony
tried to marginalise Brutus and Cassius by giving them
the role of supervisors of the Roman grain supply in
Asia. Both Brutus and Cassius refused the position and
escaped towards the east. Meanwhile, Octavian was advancing his career and his popularity among the people,
while Marc Antony came under criticism from Cicero
who wanted to preserve the power of the Senate. When
he went to Brundisium in October, he found his troops
dissatisfied with his passive approach to taking action against
Caesar’s killers, and that they
had changed their allegiances to
Octavian, who had offered them
a higher financial reward. This
shifted powers between Octavian and Marc Antony, and the
assumption that one had political power while the other had
military power no longer held
to be true. Feeling threatened by this and the increasing
number of legions who were giving their allegiance to
Octavian, Marc Antony took action, and was declared
guilty of tumultus by Octavian, one step short of war.
Their political powers were later reconciled before the
battle through the forming of the second triumvirate.
When Brutus and Cassius amassed their armies
and met in 43 BCE at Smyrna, Marc Antony requested
EDGEMUN III
that Octavian return from fighting with Sextus Pompey,
and aid him in combatting the larger threat that Brutus
and Cassius posed. Both armies were composed of well
functioning legions, and the first battle ended in a 1:1
draw. At the second battle, 14,000 soldiers were killed
while the others managed to flee to their ships, and the
Roman Republic was officially over. Julius Caesar was
avenged. Although Octavian would continue to create
a legacy of his own, at the Battle of Philippi he was still
young and inexperienced, and Marc Antony stole the
show. Antony was viewed and celebrated as an emperor
by victors and losers alike, while Octavian, who was not
as generous with the defeated, was not held in as high
esteem. However, the question of who would take power
and take charge in Rome had still not been decided,
and the ultimate victory of the Battle of Philippi would
belong to Octavian, and his shrewdity in politics and
ability to inspire loyalty in others would ultimately bring
him to the top over Antony.
WAR WITH POMPEIus
Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius
was born in the year 67 BCE as the
younger son of the general Pompey
the Great10. After his father was killed
in the Civil War, Pompeius fled to
Spain. He returned after the assassination of Caesar, and temporarily came
to terms with Marc Antony. He was
given naval command, but was quickly outlawed in 43
BCE. After ravaging the Italian coast for years, by occupying Sicily and blockading Italy, he aided Marc Antony
against Octavian, and later forced them into making
a formal treaty with him when Antony and Octavian
renewed their agreement. The two triumvirs were in no
position to challenge the naval power of Pompeius, and
the three men met at Misenum on the Bay of Naples to
10. “Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius | Roman Leader.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
11. “Sextus Pompey.” Sextus Pompey. Unrv.org, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
Image: http://www.livius.org/a/1/maps/philippi1.GIF
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EDGEMUN III
make arrangements and hopefully end Pompeius’ obstructions11. Pompeius was offered the ceremonial position of Consul for the year 38 BCE, as well as governing
power over Sicily, Sardinia and the Greek Peloponnesus
for five years, and more importantly, Pompeius’ followers
and supporters were allowed to return to Rome. However, Pompeius soon started to complain that the Greek
Peloponnesus had been stripped of its value by taxation
prior to his ruling. Additionally, Pompeius’ Sardinian
governor defected to Octavian, giving Octavian control
over the island, humiliating and angering Pompeius even
further. Pompeius and his fleets soon started to disrupt
grain supplies again, and the temporary peace that had
been established within the treaty of Misenum began to
unravel.
Republican holdouts in Sicilian exile grew tired and
returned to Rome to join either Octavian or Antony, and
Pompeius had lost his support in the Senate after the
treaty of Misenum. With the flood of returning Senators
and leading families, Octavian was compelled to make
alliances. After the birth of his daughter Julia from his
wife Scribonia, a relative of Sextus Pompeius, he divorced her and married the wife of Tiberius Claudius
Nero, Livia Drusilla, and their marriage lasted for an unprecedented 52 years. Thereby emboldened by these new
alliances, and pushed to take a definitive stance against
Pompeius, Octavian adopted his new name from at least
38 BCE onwards. His new name, Imperator Caesar Divi
Filius, means General Caesar, son of god(s), and highlighted his relationship to the deified Julius Caesar.
When the war first began, Augustus was not faring so
well. An attempt to invade Sicily in 38 BCE had to be
halted due to poor weather conditions and Pompeius’
successful intervention. In the following spring of 37
BCE, Marcus Agrippa took over with a massive fleet
that he had gathered and trained in an artificially en-
closed harbor at Naples. On top of that, Marc Antony
contributed 120 ships in exchange for 20,000 troops that
he would use in his movements against Parthia, thus
re-solidifying the pact between himself and Augustus
until 33 BCE. In July of 36 BCE, Agrippa led a decisive
three-pronged attack, sending two fleets from Italy, and
a third fleet lead by the oft-ignored Lepidus from Africa.
After winning two naval battles, Agrippa successfully
ended the threat of Pompeius and was awarded a golden
crown for his actions.
Lepidus, who had been temporarily brought
back into the picture for a while, ended up losing all of
his political credibility12. Once he had received news of
Agrippa’s victory, he accepted the surrender of Pompeius’ troops in Sicily, instead of following Augustus’
orders to refuse their surrender. Then, in a stroke of political genius, Augustus bribed Lepidus’ men to join him
and, after taking control of Lepidus’ eighteen legions,
exiled Lepidus to a small Italian town. Although Lepidus
held the position of Pontifex Maximus, it had essentially
become nothing but a title. After his death, the role of
head priest of the Roman religion was passed on to Marc
Antony, then Augustus, then to all the following emperors. At this point, the Second Triumvirate had officially
ended.
MORE ON THE SECOND TRIUMVIRATE
The official name of the Second Triumvirate was
the tresviri rei publicae constituendae, which means
the ‘triumvirate for reestablishing public welfare’.13 It
was legally established in 43 BCE for five years, and was
renewed again in 37 BCE. The second triumvirate was
a political alliance formed between Octavian, Antony,
and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and they were granted
an immense amount of power by the Senate, and accepted the powers of a dictator14. They executed 4,700
12. “Sextus Pompey.” Sextus Pompey. Unrv.org, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
13. “Triumvirate.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2015. Encyclopedia.com. 19 Dec. 2015.
14. “Second Triumvirate.” - Livius. Livius.org, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
15. “44-31 B.C. - The Second Triumvirate to the Principate.” About.com Education. Ancienthistory.com, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
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of their opponents, including Cicero, and wrote land
bills for Caesar’s veterans who, from eighteen cities,
had been sent away without any compensation. They
waged war against the murderers of Caesar, defeating
them at Philippi, and took measures against the Senate,
appointing all magistrates into office. Anyone who was
opposed to the triumvirate sought refuge in Sicily, where
Sextus, the son of Pompey the Great, was organizing the
resistance that would later be crushed the war between
himself and Octavian.
Lepidus was deposed in 36 BCE, and he died in
13 BCE. The remaining land was re-divided between
Antony and Octavian, who took the east and the west
respectively. Political strains increased between Antony and Octavian. Antony’s wife, Octavia, was upset by
Antony’s preference for Queen Cleopatra, and Octavian
used this to his advantage by claiming that Antony’s
allegiances were with Egypt rather than Rome, accusing
Antony of treason15. Matters between the two leaders
escalated, and matters were decided in the ensuing war.
war with antony
A conflict between Antony and Octavian was
essentially inevitable due to their political rivalry and
ambitious natures16. Marc Antony had brought his powers to Egypt and become infatuated with the Egyptian
Queen, Cleopatra. Moreover, both Cleopatra and Antony recognized the political advantage of being in each
other’s favor. Cleopatra needed Marc Antony to help her
reestablish the old borders of the Ptolemaic kingdom,
and Antony needed Cleopatra and Egypt for supplies
and fundings for his attacks. The second triumvirate was
formally ended in 32 BCE. Antony had the favor of the
two Roman consuls, however, and under threat from Octavian, they left for Antony’s headquarters in Alexandria,
bringing with them numerous Roman senators. Antony
then established his headquarters at Ephesus, Athens,
Topic
EDGEMUN
III
and Patras, but Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Octavian’s
admiral, and then Octavian himself, sailed across the
Ionian sea and succeeded in capturing many strategic
locations on and off the coasts of Greece and Macedonia. As Antony slowly lost more and more ground,
his Roman supporters became alienated. Additionally,
Cleopatra’s insistence upon being with Marc Antony
at his headquarters went against the wishes of many of
Antony’s Roman supporters, and they eventually left him
and were accepted by Octavian.
The Battle of Actium on September 2nd, 31 BCE
was the deciding battle of the war. Antony, with 500 ships
and 70,000 infantry met with Octavian’s 400 ships and
80,000 infantry who came from the north, and managed
to cut off Antony’s southward journey by occupying Patrae and Corinth. Through strategic planning and the aid
of Agrippa, Octavian’s fleets soon gained the upper hand.
Cleopatra broke through Agrippa’s lines with 60 ships
and fled to Alexandria. She was later joined by Antony,
who had lost both the battle and the war, and they both
committed suicide in 30 BCE after Octavian arrived in
the summer. The outcome of the Battle of Actium, and
thus the War with Antony as a whole secured Octavian’s
power and position, and his Roman-Italian policy prevailed throughout the reign of the Roman Empire.
AUGUSTUS CAESAR AND THE GROWTH
OF THE EMPIRE
Augustus is most associated with three names
that are marked by different periods of his life17. He was
born Gaius Octavius Thurinus and was known as Octavius until he was adopted in 44 BCE, and thus became
Octavian, and his name changed again to Augustus,
meaning ‘exalted one,’ when he became Emperor. He was
of a prosperous family situated in Velletri, a city around
twenty miles southeast of Rome18. His father was the
first of the family to be elected Roman Senator, and then
16. “Mark Antony | Roman Triumvir.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
17. “Augustus.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
18. “Augustus | Roman Emperor.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
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AUGUSTUS
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praetorship, and his mother was Caesar’s niece, Atai. Octavian made his first national debut at the age of twelve
when he spoke at his grandmother’s funeral. Three or
four years later he became a member of the board of
priests. In 46 BCE, he accompanied Caesar to Africa in
his victory over his opponents in the Civil war. Augustus
married three times; first to Mark Antony’s stepdaughter
Clodia Pulchra, then to Scribonia with whom he had his
only child, Julia the Elder. Finally, he divorced Scribonia
and married Livia Drusilla who had had two sons, Tiberius and Drusus, by her first husband.
After Caesar’s assassination, with Octavian
having been made Caesar’s heir, he was thrown straight
into messy politics18. He faced a political rivalry with
Marc Antony, who had expected to be made heir himself, and was essentially ignored by Brutus and Cassius at
the beginning of his career. Cicero had had hopes to use
Octavian, but had underestimated Octavian’s abilities.
Octavian integrated himself with the Roman populace
by celebrating public games as Caesar had done, and he
succeeded in winning the allegiance of many of the dictator’s troops. The Senate ends up breaking with Antony
and siding with Octavian, making him a Senator despite
his young age, and when the consuls who commanded
the Senate’s forces died, Octavian’s troops convinced the
Senate to give him the vacant position of consul. Then,
under the name of Gaius Julius Caesar, he solidified his
status as the adopted son of Julius Caesar, winning even
greater favor with the Roman people.
After his victories at Philippi and the formation
of the second Triumvirate, followed by the conflicts with
Pompeius, Lepidus and Antony, Augustus Caesar finally
had full control of the Roman Empire. He was extremely
clever and crafty in his political prowess, and climbed
his way to the top, not just through force, but through
gaining the favor of the Roman people, the allegiances of
the troops, and the blessings of the Roman Senate.
EDGEMUN
III
Topic
Within four years of his rise to power, Augustus
secured his rule. First, he secured loyalty from the troops
through the treasure he had seized from Cleopatra19. To
appease the Senate and the ruling class, he staged a return of the law system to that of the Roman Republic. He
was granted a ten year tenure of a provincia composed
of Spain, Gaul, and Syria, three regions that contained
the bulk of the army. Although the other provinces were
allotted to other senators,
Augustus had a firm faith in his ability to control
and manipulate those territories through the senators,
and did so effectively. Finally, to win the favor of the
people, he worked to improve, expand and beautify the
city of Rome. He showed a patriotic reverence for the old
Italian faith by reviving old traditions and ceremonies19.
In this forty-year reign, Augustus managed to double the
size of the empire, adding territories from Europe and
Asia Minor and making alliances that gave him power
from Britain to India. He remade Rome through grand
gestures, such as a new forum and lavish architecture,
as well as through practical gestures, such as expanding
the network of roads, founding the Praetorian Guard
and Roman Postal Service, and establishing police and
fire departments. In 23 BCE, he fell ill while in Gaul, and
felt compelled to make constitutional changes. He threw
aside his series of consulships in favor of imperium majus, a new power that would place him above the proconsuls, and he was also awarded the power of tribune
for life.
Throughout his reign, Augustus ends up expanding his empire and power through shrewd tactics and
strategic alliances, all the while maintaining the favor of
the Roman people. He dies on August 19th in the year
14 CE. He is said to have two final statements: ‘I found
Rome of clay; I leave it to you of marble’ and ‘Have I
played the part well? They applaud me as I exit’20.
Augustus was one of the greatest administrative
19. “Augustus | Roman Emperor.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
20. “Augustus.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
21. “Augustus.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 19 Dec. 2015
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geniuses in history, and through this his legacy was able
to live on. A time period known as the Pax Romana, the
Roman Peace, developed under his rule, and allowed
Greco-Roman culture to be carried forward, and provided a means for the transfusion of Judaism and Christianity, even though the Roman Peace did create a gilded
sense of peace19. The phrase ‘panem et circenses’ was supposedly coined to describe the way that Roman Emperors tried to keep their people happy through ample food
and entertainment. Regardless, Augustus also reinstilled
the old sense of morality from the early Roman Republic,
and he tried to improve morals by passing laws.21 Furthermore, it can be argued that it was only through his
stroke of genius was he able to stay in power and in favor
for so long. Rather than declare himself dictator as Julius
Caesar had, he worked more tactfully in order to slowly
gain ultimate control of the government and then the
empire.
Looking Forward to the Fall of
the Roman Empire
One of the most pivotal events in history is the
crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish leader of the
Christians. During Tiberius’ rule, Jesus was killed, and
Christians were tolerated at best, and tortured and brutally persecuted at worst, until the rule of Constantine22.
In 303 CE, Constantine passed an edict for toleration
of all religions, and by the year 320 CE, Christianity was
favored by the Romans. But, the empire was on a steep
decline, and Theodosius, the last of Constantine’s line,
was the last emperor to rule a united Rome. At this point
in time, the Roman Empire had overexpanded, overspent
on military excursions, and had allowed political corruption and instability to breed and brew23. The Western
Empire had grown weak from constant invasions. All the
peasants had fled into the cities, over-concentrating city
populations, allowing for easy proliferation of disease,
EDGEMUN
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Topic
sickness, and increased rates of crime and malnutrition.
The Eastern Empire, however, was prospering from
spice trades, and when Theodosius died in 395 CE, the
Roman Empire split into the quickly declining Western
Empire, and the flourishing Eastern Empire, which later
became the Byzantine Empire. The city of Rome was
sacked by the Visigoths, and wandering Germanic tribe,
in 410 CE, severely shaking up the Western Empire. The
year 476 CE marked the completed fall of Rome, after
the last standing Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus,
was overthrown by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer.
Although the Eastern Empire continued, the original
Roman Empire had been centered around Italy and the
city of Rome, and thus when it fell, the Roman Empire
fell with it, and thus the time period that would come to
be known as the Dark Ages began24.
CONCLUSION
It cannot be disputed that, with the murder of
Julius Caesar and the fall of the Roman Republic, the
dawn of the Empire brought peace and stability to Rome
under the shrewd politics of Augustus Caesar. However,
many would have wanted to see Rome restored to its
traditional republican government. Others would argue
that the glory of the Empire justifies the transition from
the republic. Others still would argue that the decline
of the Roman Empire, and Pax Romana, the splitting of
the Empire into the East and the West, could have been
prevented had Rome reverted to its traditional Republic
after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Some would place
the fault neither on the transition to the empire, nor the
failure to maintain the old republican structure of government, but rather within the greed and corruption of
those who were allowed to rise to power.
The delegation is meeting right at the climax of
political turmoil that followed the assassination of Julius
Caesar, but the delegates will have full knowledge of the
22. “Roman Empire | Ancient State [27 BC-476 AD].” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
23. “8 Reasons Why Rome Fell.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
24. “Western Roman Empire Falls.” History.com. History, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
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Committee
Name
AUGUSTUS
CAESAR
Topic
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events prior to and following this point in history. Times are tumultuous, with strong emotions clashing
over the fall of the republic and subsequent rising of the empire. Ultimately, the future path can take a
number of different twists and turns, and you as a committee must decide how to progress. Should the
transition from a republic to an empire be made and supported?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. What immediate benefits and harms did the transition to the empire bring? What long term benefits
and harms did the transitions to the empire bring?
2. Should action be taken to prevent the rise of the
empire? Is it even a viable option?
3. What are the problems that you have with the empire, if any at all?
4. Do you believe that the rise of the empire is for the
ultimate benefit of Rome, its cultures and its ideals?
5. Does the empire violate traditional Roman ideals?
Do you agree with the ideals and functions of empire?
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Committee
Name
AUGUSTUS
CAESAR
Topic
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CoMMITTEE ROLES
Julius Caesar
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Pompey
Cicero
Lucius Sergius Catilina (Catiline)
Gaius Marius
Gaius Cassius Longinus
Augustus Caesar
Mark Antony
Lepidus
Brutus
Marcus Agrippa
Gaius Maecenas
Cleopatra
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Sextus Pompeius
Attia
Livia
Fulvia
Lucius Scipio
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
Cato (the Younger)
Titus Labienus
Lucullus
Sulla
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Committee
Name
AUGUSTUS
CAESAR
Topic
EDGEMUN
III
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