Sick of turmoil and bloodshed, the Roman people welcomed Augustus's rise to power. His strong but mild rule brought peace and stability to Rome and her colonies. Augustus strengthened the Roman army and navy and worked to end corruption. Helped by these reforms, trade flourished and the empire grew richer than ever before. Augustus used some of this wealth to beautify the city of Rome, which had been full of crumbling and ugly old buildings. The emperor ordered these torn down and replaced with lovely new houses, temples, and theaters. Toward the end of his life, Augustus would boast, "I found Rome built of bricks; I leave her clothed in marble."
Augustus also gave generous support to artists and writers. He encouraged Virgil, the greatest Roman poet of the time, to write a long epic called the Aeneid. In this poem, Virgil told the legendary story of the founding of Rome by the Trojan hero Aeneas. Part of his poem praises Augustus for bringing peace and prosperity to the empire. Another part declares that it is the destiny of Rome to rule the world:
... Yours will be the ruler-ship of nations, remember, Roman, these will be your arts: to teach the ways of peace to those you conquer, to spare defeated people, tame the proud.
Augustus ruled the Roman Empire for more than 40 years. When he died in A.D. 14, he was deeply mourned by his subjects; more than 100,000 people marched in his funeral procession.
No comments:
Post a Comment