To a large extent, the public was aware of the vast financial resources that Octavian commanded. He failed to encourage enough senators to finance the building and maintenance of networks of roads in Italy in 20 BC, but he undertook direct responsibility for them. This was publicized on the Roman currency issued in 16 BC, after he donated vast amounts of money to the aerarium Saturni, the public treasury. [127] Octavian as a magistrate. The statue's marble head was made c. 30–20BC, the body sculpted in the 2nd century AD ( Louvre, Paris). In 44 BCE, whilst completing his academic studies in Spain, he learned of Julius Caesar's death and returned to Rome. Sadly due to this box arriving with us a little close to publication date we have not been able to build and paint all the contents – but we will update this article as we do!

Augustus was born Gaius Octavius on 23 September 63 BC in Rome. In 43 BC his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, was assassinated and in his will, Octavius, known as Octavian, was named as his heir. He fought to avenge Caesar and in 31 BC defeated Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium. He was now undisputed ruler of Rome. Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. After his adoption by Julius Caesar on the latter's death in 44 BC, Octavian took Caesar's name, [6] but was often distinguished from him as "Octavianus" ( Latin: [ɔktaːwiˈaːnʊs]), denoting that he was a former member of the gens Octavia. He is mainly known by the anglicization "Octavian" ( / ɒ k ˈ t eɪ v i ə n/ ok- TAY-vee-ən) for the period between 44 and 27 BC. [7]In the late spring Augustus had a severe illness and on his supposed deathbed made arrangements that would ensure the continuation of the principate in some form, [154] [161] while allaying senators' suspicions of his anti-republicanism. Augustus prepared to hand down his signet ring to his favored general Agrippa. However, Augustus handed over to his co-consul Piso all of his official documents, an account of public finances, and authority over listed troops in the provinces while Augustus's supposedly favored nephew Marcellus came away empty-handed. [162] [163] This was a surprise to many who believed Augustus would have named an heir to his position as an unofficial emperor. [164] Main articles: Constitution of the Roman Empire and History of the Constitution of the Roman Empire

The marble statue was made shortly after Augustus’ death. Some believe it may have been a copy of a bronze statue that celebrated his victory over the Parthians in 20 BC. My erstwhile teacher of Mediterranean archaeology disagreed with that assertion, since Augustus had been very careful not to have himself depicted as a military leader – at least not in public. There were a number of reasons for that. Sextus Pompeius, the son of Pompey and still a renegade general, following Julius Caesar's victory over his father, had established himself in Sicily and Sardinia as part of an agreement reached with the Second Triumvirate in 39BC. [89] Both Antony and Octavian were vying for an alliance with Pompeius. Octavian succeeded in a temporary alliance in 40BC when he married Scribonia, a sister (or daughter) of Pompeius's father-in-law Lucius Scribonius Libo. Scribonia gave birth to Octavian's only natural child, Julia, the same day that he divorced her to marry Livia Drusilla, little more than a year after their marriage. [88] Nice and simple this one, Warhammer Community team have just announced that the release date for Strike Force Agastus is Saturday, March 4th. 2 days before the intended price increase, Will this be impacted and will it be the first new release to show the new prices? Here’s the savings and value breakdown for the new Space Marines Strike Force Agastus box set that was revealed at LVO 2023. Augustus also promoted the ideal of a superior Roman civilization with a task of ruling the world (to the extent to which the Romans knew it), a sentiment embodied in words that the contemporary poet Virgil attributes to a legendary ancestor of Augustus: tu regere imperio populos, Romane, memento [178]—"Roman, remember to rule the Earth's peoples with authority!" The impulse for expansionism was apparently prominent among all classes at Rome, and it is accorded divine sanction by Virgil's Jupiter in Book 1 of the Aeneid, where Jupiter promises Rome imperium sine fine, "sovereignty without end". [201]In supporting Octavian, Antony expected to gain support for his own campaign against the Parthian Empire, desiring to avenge Rome's defeat at Carrhae in 53BC. [94] In an agreement reached at Tarentum, Antony provided 120 ships for Octavian to use against Pompeius, while Octavian was to send 20,000 legionaries to Antony for use against Parthia. Octavian sent only a tenth of those promised, which Antony viewed as an intentional provocation. [95] Arriving in Rome on 6 May 44BC, Octavian found consul Mark Antony, Caesar's former colleague, in an uneasy truce with the dictator's assassins. They had been granted a general amnesty on 17 March, yet Antony had succeeded in driving most of them out of Rome with an inflammatory eulogy at Caesar's funeral, mounting public opinion against the assassins. [39]