The first emperor of Rome was the great-nephew of Julius Caesar, whom Caesar had adopted as a son. He was later called Augustus, Latin for “respected,” but his given name was Octavian. Although Octavian was only eighteen when Caesar
Hannibal famously led an army of war elephants across the Alps—although unfortunately most of them perished in the harsh conditions. The Romans had developed effective tactics against the elephants, leading to Hannibal's defeat at his final battle of Zama in 202 B. C. His elephant charge was ineffective because the disciplined Roman tactical units simply made way for them to pass.
Was killed, he was ambitious. By the time Octavian was twenty-one, he began sharing the leadership of the empire with Marc Antony, who had been Caesar’s main commander. Together they destroyed the armies of those who had killed Caesar. But by 34 B. C., Antony and Octavian were rivals. Antony had a powerful ally on his side—Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, who was Antony’s lover.
In 31 B. C. when Antony and Cleopatra moved troops to Greece, Octavian, leading the Roman forces, trapped them at Actium, a strip of land off the coast of Greece. Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt and, deciding that they were doomed, they killed themselves. Octavian was now the leader of Rome. Within a year, that empire included Egypt. Rome now commanded the lands of the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
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By 27 B. c. Octavian had establish himself as imperatar, Latin for commander of all armies. Two years later, the Senate gave Octavian the title Augustus, meaning “His Sacred Majesty.” The Roman Empire now had an emperor. Many historians view this moment as the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire.
Pax Romana
Remembering Caesar’s fate, Augustus, the Roman Empire’s first emperor, treated the members of the Senate with respect, giving them the impression that he shared power with them. Although power was never returned to the people as it had been during the days of the Republic, Augustus accomplished a great deal during his reign. He granted the provinces local control and allowed different ethnic groups to practice their own customs. He improved the network of roads within the empire and taxed
Rome’s citizens more fairly. A period called the Pax Ramana, or Roman peace, began with Augustus’ reign and continued for nearly two hundred years. During this time Roman culture flourished as it spread.
World History
