Res Gestae Divi Augusti

It might seem that there is little reason for a modern reader to buy a book of lists by a Roman emperor touting his 35 magnificent good deeds - like stopping the civil wars (by killing all the combatants) - but this little 90-page jewel puts you unbelievably, vividly in the moment when the Empire began. It's better than the histories left to us by Suetonius, Livy and Tacitus because it's so blatantly a brag book to remind the people of Rome who did all this marvelous stuff. The Princeps, as his proper title was, tells us that when the senate renamed him from Octavian to Augustus, they publicly wreathed the front porch of his house with bay leaves so everyone could come see and chat with him. When he finally defeated the Parthians in battle, he personally brought captured Roman standards back to Rome and deposited them "in the innermost shrine of the temple of Mars the Avenger." He produced a naval battle for a pubic entertainment just across the Tiber, excavated a hole 1,800 feet long and 1,200 feet wide and filled it with river water. "There," Augustus wrote, "thirty beaked triremes and biremes were joined in battle. About 5,000 men, besides the rowers, fought in these fleets." (Stories that this battle was held in the Colosseum - which hadn't been built yet - are false. Filling it with water would have been impossible because a mere wooden floor covered extensive underground machinery needed for holding the gladiators, animals, equipment and victims. The spectacle was in this artificial lake.) This little book, with the Latin text on left pages, English on right, is like riding on his shoulders from the time he was a young warrior out to revenge the murder of Julius Caesar, his adoptive father, to his seventy-sixth year. It's a romp into ancient Rome, not Roman history.

Using it as a textbook for a Latin course. Notes and vocab included with some grammar help. Cheapest out of all my required textbooks, the others of which were second-hand. Good 'ole Augustus not charging copyright fees. Take Classics guys, at least you won't be charged $150+ for an ebook on calculus.

Great for my Augustus collection. Worth the buy and money.

Full of helpful notes.

The commentary is good and it has an extensive glossary which is really helpful.

Great supplement to ECCE ROMANI III. Written by the same authors so you get additional comments and vocab that is consistent with the course ECCE ROMANI. Great book.

The Res Gestae of the Roman Emperor Augustus (63 BC - AD 14) is a "catalogue of his achievements which he wished to be inscribed on bronze tablets and set up in front of his mausoleum." He entrusted this catalogue to the Vestal Virgins after his death. Three extant sources contain the Res Gestae and it is clear that all three come from a common original. At the funerals of famous men at Rome "it was the practice for some member of the family to deliver an oration commemorating the dead man's virtues and achievements." Often, men left behind them "more permanent memorials in the form of inscriptions recording their careers and deeds." Thus, Augustus' Res Gestae, although much more elaborate and grandiose, are part of this literary tradition. The editor points out that these lists could not contain "untrue" elements because everyone would see the tablets; however, the historian who wrote them could be highly selective in his word choice and content - i.e. keep that in mind when you read the Res Gestae.Augustus' Res Gestae is addressed to Roman citizens. This document only addresses parts of his legislation, "leaves out his administrative reforms, and does not fully cover his revival of the old Roman religion." However, this document is "designed to demonstrate and justify the unique position of preeminence which [Augustus] had come to hold." He lays out his triumphs and military victories, entry into public life, and his accumulation of honors (he stresses that they were bestowed on him by the people).The Latin is composed in a clear style which makes easy reading for intermediate Latin students (for whom this small volume was designed). This edition contains facing Latin and English pages, very extensive and useful notes, a comprehensive introduction dealing with the constitutional position of Augustus, sources concerning his reign, the style, date and composition of the Res Gestae, a useful appendix on Roman constitutional terms, and a chronological table. This is a must read for anyone interested in Roman history or those who want to brush up on their Latin.

A laundry list of remarkable achievements from Rome's greatest emperor that no book reviewer from that time would dare to criticize. Perhaps the first politician's autobiography if you don't count Caesar's Gallic Wars.