Science Source ftp Apr 2015

Engraving of Sebastien Bourdon's painting entitled: Augustus before the Tomb of Alexander the Great. Augustus (63 BC-14 AD) was the founder of the Roman Empire and its first Emperor, ruling from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD. Augustus was adopted posthumously by his maternal uncle Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BC following Caesar's assassination. Together with Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus, he formed the Second Triumvirate to defeat the assassins of Caesar. The Triumvirate was eventually torn apart under the competing ambitions of its members: Lepidus was driven into exile and stripped of his position, and Antony committed suicide following his defeat at the Battle of Actium by Augustus in 31 BC. Augustus restored the outward facade of the free Republic, with governmental power vested in the Roman Senate, the executive magistrates, and the legislative assemblies. In reality, however, he retained his autocratic power over the Republic as a military dictator. The reign of Augustus initiated an era of relative peace known as the Pax Romana (The Roman Peace). he secured the Empire with a buffer region of client states, and made peace with the Parthian Empire through diplomacy. He reformed the Roman system of taxation, developed networks of roads with an official courier system, established a standing army, established the Praetorian Guard, created official police and fire-fighting services for Rome, and rebuild much of the City during his reign. Augustus died of natural causes in 14 AD at the age of 76.