1. Octavian given title “Augustus” on Jan. of 27 B.C. by Senate for giving back powers and restoring the
Republic. The Senate immediately gives back special powers. Known as “FIRST SETTLEMENT”.
2.He receives proconsular powers for a)Gaul b)Spain c)Syria d)Cyprus & e)Egypt for ten years.
3.The immense wealth of Egypt allows him to finance military retirements, new colonies,etc.
4. Prefers title “princeps” (which means “first citizen”), rather than “imperator”.
5. He creates the PRAETORIAN GUARD in 27 BC. nine cohorts (500 soldiers each) for personal protection.
6. He reduces the enormous Roman army from 60 legions to 28, uses Egypt’s wealth to fund retirements.
7.He builds over 30 new cities throughout the provinces to “Romanize” these regions.
8.He reduces Senate’s size to 800.
9. After near death experience in 23 puts aside consulship (total 13 times). This is “Second Settlement.
10.He asks close friend AGRIPPA to divorce to could marry his daughter Julia.
11.Julia and Agrippa had three boys, Gaius, Lucius, and Agrippa Postumus and a daughter Agrippina.
12.In 17 B.C. Augustus adopted Agrippa, and two of his sons, Gaius and Lucius.
13.In 12 B.C. Agrippa died and the two heirs, Gaius (died in AD 2) and Lucius (in AD 4).
14.Augustus had affair with wife of close friend MAECENAS, an advisor and extremely wealthy equestrian
15.Maecenas became patron for
a)VIRGIL – considered Rome’s greatest poet. He wrote the AENEID – the story of Aeneas & Rome’s founding.
b)HORACE – famous for his ODES, four books of exceptional short poems. Given famous Sabine Farm.
16. In 9 AD VARUS’ 3 legions ambushed in TEUTOBERG FOREST in Germany by Arminius (Hermann).
17.Germanicus came back in AD 14 to avenge the massacre and recover the legions’ standards.
18. Greatest military disaster of Augustus’ legions (XVII, XVIII & XIX), nearly 20,000 were lost.
19. Augustus pushed a program of family values and used literature as propaganda to promote these values.
20. Tiberius forced to divorce wife to marry Julia – a disaster. Julia rebelled - lapsed into life of excess.
21.The poet OVID (METAMORPHOSES) banished to Tomis on Black Sea for a poem (THE ART OF LOVE)
and a comment.
22. He reorganized Rome into 14 districts.
23. He established the Vigiles, a fire brigade of seven cohorts of 1,000 men. One cohort patrolled two districts
each day and acted as police force at night.
24.None of Augustus’ heirs outlived him. Thus he made stepson, TIBERIUS (son of his wife LIVIA) heir.
25. A’s reign marks beginning of The Pax Romana, a 200 year period of peace & prosperity (ends in 180)
26. Augustus died a peaceful death in 14 A.D.
27. His achievements are recorded on a famous plaque, known as the Res Gestae Divi Augusti.
B)TIBERIUS (14 A.D.-37 A.D.)
1. Augustus’ wife Livia had two sons from her first marriage: Tiberius and Drusus.
2.The young Tiberius’ first marriage was a happy one to Vispania (daughter to Agrippa)
3.Tiberius was excellent genenerl. He recovered the standards lost by Crassus at Carrhae in 53 B.C.
4.Commander 12-9 B.C. in Pannonia (modern Austria) and 9-7 B.C. in Germania.
5.In 12 B.C. Augustus compelled Tiberius to divorce his much loved wife Vispania to marry Julia
6.In 9 B.C. his beloved brother Drusus died in Germania.
7.Continually passed over by Augustus for position as heir. Embarrassed he leaves Rome for Rhodes (6 BC)
8.Aug. recalled Tiberius to Rome in A.D. 4 to be adopted and thereby selected as his heir.
9. Sent to put down a revolt in Germania in A.D. 4-6 and Pannonia A.D. 6-9.
10.Augustus died in A.D. 14, Tiberius found him a hard act to follow.
11.Relations with the Senate were, from the very start, poor.
12.Germanicus becomes more popular than Tiberius
13. He gives Germanicus “imperium maius” and sent him off to the East to friend Piso, governor of Syria.
14.Germanicus suddenly dies in A.D. 19. Piso and his wife suspected of poisoning Germanicus.
15.Tiberius and his mother Livia were blamed and Piso made scapegoat. Found guilty & commits suicide.
16.Sejanus, a commoner, becomes the Praetorian Prefect and makes Tiberius paranoid of plots.
17. Treason (“maiestas”) trials begin. Sejanus given extraordinary powers. Begins removing possible heirs.
18. Tiberius in AD 26 to moves to the island of Capri where he would be safe.
19.The young Caligula moved into the Villa Jovis and was taken under the wing of the old emperor.
20. Tiberius remarks of Caligula “I am nursing a viper for the Roman people!”
21. AD 31 Tiberius’ suspects Sejanus plotting against him. Enlists help of Macro to arrest Sejanus.
22. Sejanus dragged into the Tullianum (below the Carcer) and executed by strangulation.
23.He and his three children executed and thrown down the Gemonian Stairs (Scalae Gemoniae)
24.After Sejanus’ death anyone who was closely associated with Sejanus was executed.
25.The years of 31-36 became a reign of terror. Anyone suspected of crimes was executed.
26.Tiberius died at the Villa of Lucullus at Misenum on the Bay of Naples on March 16, AD 37, at the age of 77.
27.Asserted that Macro, the Prefect, smothered him with a pillow, when the old man took too long to die.

C)CALIGULA (37 A.D.-41 A.D.) (Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus)“Let them hate, so long as they fear.”
1.He was the third son of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder.
2.Named “Caligula” (little boots)by soldiers of his father Germanicus, a popular commander of a legion on the Rhine.
3. In 19, Caligula moved to Rome and protected from Sejanus’ plots by his grandmother Antonia.
4.In 32 Caligula moved to Capri to live with Tiberius.
5. Macro helped gain the approval of the Senate to make Caligula emperor (was to co-rule with Gemellus),
6. At first he was popular and moderate.
7. He wisely secured the support of the Praetorian Guard.
8. Became unstable in October of 37, due to a mysterious illness.
9.By 38 initiates a bloodbath - ordered Macro to commit suicide and Tiberius’ grandson, Gemellus, beheaded.
10.Anyone whom the emperor suspected of disloyalty was killed.
11. He built a bridge of boats in the Bay of Naple for a 2 day spectacle in which he drove a chariot.
12.He embarked on his “German Campaign” with his Praetorian Guard in Gaul & Germania.
13. Sent soldiers to coast to collect seashells, then claimed he had subdued Britain
14. Squandered 3 billion sesterces left by Tiberius an emptying the imperial treasury.
15. He forced wealthy men to will him their fortunes. He then had them commit suicide.
16. He soon declared himself a god and demanded that he be worshipped as such.
17. He built enormous pleasure boats.
18.He is said to have wanted his favorite horse, INCITATUS, to be made a consul.
19. He was married four times.
20.He cruelly had criminals fed to wild animals when there was no more meat to feed the animals.
21. A major conspiracy erupted which involved the Senate, the Praetorians, the Equestrians and Patricians.
22.On Jan. 24, 31 a Praetorian, Cassius Chaerea, led assassination of Caligula and wife Caesonia and their infant daughter.
23. Caligula died at the age of 28.
D)CLAUDIUS (A.D.41 - 54 )
1.Claudius, the son of Drusus(the elder) and Antonia, born at Lugdunum. First provincial born emperor.
2.Passed over as heir due a variety of handicaps including stammering.
3.Claudius had strong intellectual gifts - historian and orator history on Carthage and Etruscans.
4.After assassination he was found hiding behind curtain in palace.
5.Praetorian chose him & the Senate was compelled to accept him.
6. Claudius gave the Praetorians a substantial “donativum” (a gift of money) of 3750 denarii.
7. He expanded the civil service system.
8.In 43 he oversaw the invasion of Britain and witnessed capture of the town of Camulodonum.
9.Claudius added five provinces to the empire. Britannia a province in 43, Lycia (43), Pamphylia (43),
Mauretania (44 – split in two)and Thracia (46).
10.He was disliked by the Senate.
11.There were six plots on his life. Scribonianus attempted a revolt of the legions in Dalamatia (east of Italy).
12.He expanded Roman citizenship and established numerous new colonies.
13.Claudius also greatly extended opportunities for the equestrians and freedmen
14. Two of the more notorious freedmen were Narcissus and Pallas who
15. He expelled the Jews from Rome.
16. He built a new harbor at the port in Ostia, he completed two aqueducts
17. He became directly involved in judicial affairs, acting as judge on occasion.
18. Claudius had four disastrous marriages. 3 rd wife MESSALINA had many killed on false charges.
19. Messallina had many open affairs and plotted with the help of her Silius to have Claudius overthrown.
Both conspirator were executed.
20. 4 th wife AGRIPPINA THE YOUNGER, sister of Caligula. She and freedman named PALLAS heavily
influenced Claudius his policies.
21. Due to Agrippina’s dominance her son, NERO, being designated heir to the throne. He marries Octavia.
22. Agrippina poisoned the unsuspecting Claudius with snack of mushrooms, laced with poison.
23. Died at age of 64.
24. He was the first emperor after Augustus to be deified.
25.Seneca the Younger wrote satire mocking the deification (apotheosis) called “THE APOCOLOCYNTOSIS
(translated “The Pumpkinification (of Claudius)”.