# What's the first thing you think about Augustus Caesar **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2013, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861 "2013-08-22T09:06:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/61 "2013-08-24T09:00:46Z")
Technically, my first thought was that he was Octavius, but that’s right next to thinking about his familial history. I honestly have a hard time thinking of Augustus Caesar as the first Roman emperor, since Julius Caesar was so close to an emperor before that. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/62 "2013-08-24T11:25:09Z")
I knew a retired mechanic in Wisconsin named Gus Kaiser. All his life he’d never made the connection. Nobody else understood when I pointed it out, either. I’m glad I moved away after school. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/63 "2013-08-24T12:29:23Z")
Having recently watched the first season of _Rome_ my very first thought was that he was seduced by his sister. This did not happen in real life, I hasten to add. My second thought was that he ushered in the _Pax Romana_, a worthier thought by far. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/64 "2013-08-24T12:51:19Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > Having recently watched the first season of _Rome_ my very first thought was that he was seduced by his sister. This did not happen in real life, I hasten to add. Back in the day, anyone who dared imply all the baseless calumnies that series brought against Augustus’s mother and sister would have been over a slow fire in short order. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/65 "2013-08-24T13:11:56Z")
Luke 2 for me, also. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/66 "2013-08-24T14:42:36Z")
I think about Augustus every day, actually. Off the top of my head: 1. I’m hip deep in revising/modifying an article in which he (or more specifically his progeny) features which will be a chapter of a forthcoming book 2. that I need to get my arse in gear and submit my proposal to the 2014 Leeds conference on the big man (next year is the 2000th anniversary of his death) 3. I’ve got to add Eck’s overview of his reign to my students’ reading list before the term starts next month (and I’ve got to give a couple of lectures on him as well as the Augustan settlement to lay the foundation for a subsequently two-semester senior class) 4. I’ve got two public talks about him to sort out in the next couple of weeks for a couple of historical societies over the course of the next year. I feel as if I live with the dude because I pretty much do on a daily basis. He pays my rent. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/67 "2013-08-24T14:44:55Z")
> [@Space\_Vegetable](#): > > Something else: Has a month named after him. Concur. **Knead** Born in August ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/68 "2013-08-24T16:05:48Z")
“That asshole.” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/69 "2013-08-24T17:37:48Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > When you hear the name Augustus Caesar, what’s the first thing that comes into your mind? I’ve done a fair bit of reading on Ancient Rome, so a lot of stuff about his rise and reign. His asthma and youth, which made Antony and Cassius think they could prevail. **Namkcalb** - what makes you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/70 "2013-08-24T17:37:51Z")
First thought? Name someone who wore leaves on his head. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/71 "2013-08-24T18:53:21Z")
I am not proud of this, but in the interest of being a good citizen of the Dope, I’ll admit that the immediate image in my head was [this guy.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoyL_TGnuAs) ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/72 "2013-08-26T05:54:25Z")
I think of the Julius Caesar (?) movie with James Mason and Marlon Brando. IIRC. one of them was Augustus. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/73 "2013-08-26T09:47:15Z")
Mason was Brutus in that version, and Brando was Marc Antony. > **[Julius Caesar (1953) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045943/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast)** > > Julius Caesar (1953) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. ---
**Author:** ![DrGarry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@DrGarry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrGarry)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/74 "2013-08-26T10:39:00Z")
My first thought is that Augustus was the greatest politician who ever lived, with the possible exception of Genghis Khan. After nigh on a century of civil strife and murderous violence that seemed to have rendered Rome ungovernable, he managed to create a new sort of government that co-opted the upper classes, the masses, the non-Roman allies, and the army into a stable system that would endure for centuries. He quickly learnt from his uncle Julius’ mistakes, chose excellent advisors, and was able to outwit the best politicians that the Roman upper classes had in his teens. I think Brian Blessed was a terrible choice for Augustus in “I, Claudius”, although John Hurt, Derek Jacobi and George Baker were spot on. A better choice was the actor who played him in the 1968 British series “The Caesars”, which also had the marvellous Freddie Jones doing a fine scene-eating turn as Claudius. My impression of Augustus concords with how he was played in the “Rome” series, by both actors. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/75 "2013-08-26T10:40:40Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > August was named after him. I know he was a Roman emperor, and probably did something important. But the August thing is pretty much all I know of his contribution to the world. ---
**Author:** ![Archeonomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Archeonomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archeonomist)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/76 "2013-08-26T11:16:20Z")
1. The bible thing 2. That annoying little smartass in **Rome** 3. Augustus Fink-Nottle. Much because of Madeline Bassets pronunciation of Augustus. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/77 "2013-08-26T19:29:45Z")
How long have you got? I wrote my undergraduate thesis on Augustus and the problem of imperial succession. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/78 "2013-08-27T00:17:49Z")
One of the truly legendary figures in world history. At a very young age after the murder of his great-uncle, he was thrust on the political stage of Europe’s superpower. With the help of friends like Marcus Agrippa and Maecenas, he outmaneuvered his foes (Cleopatra was very smart) and became ruler. He was smart enough to figure out how to rule which predecessors like Marius, Sulla, the Gracchi, and the others. His boast of finding Rome made of bricks and left it as marble has a lot of validity. I’m not advocating benevolent dictators but Augustus was about as good as they get Brian Blessed just isn’t Augustus, and I like a lot of his work. The first one in “Rome”, Max Prakis, was quite good. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/79 "2013-09-29T05:43:50Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Mason was Brutus in that version, and Brando was Marc Antony. > > [Julius Caesar (1953) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045943/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast) Thank you for making a jerk out of me!😉 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861/80 "2013-09-29T11:26:14Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > I knew a retired mechanic in Wisconsin named Gus Kaiser. All his life he’d never made the connection. Nobody else understood when I pointed it out, either. I’m glad I moved away after school. The key word here being “Wisconsin.” :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-about-augustus-caesar/666861.md?page=3)