Rome in Marble — Augustus: He Found Rome Brick and Left It Marble

When Augustus takes power, Rome looks like a city that has not grown into its role as capital of the world. Suetonius writes that it was not adorned as the dignity of the state required, and that it was threatened by floods and fires. Augustus set about it so well that he could boast: he found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of marble (Augustus 28).

He looks to safety as well. He recruits freedmen for the Roman fire brigade and to keep order in times of famine. Beyond that he takes them into the army only twice: to guard the colonies in Illyria and the bank of the Rhine (Augustus 25).

Suetonius lists his own forum first, and gives a practical reason: people and lawsuits were increasing, two forums were not enough, a third was needed. There is also a personal reason. He vowed to build the temple of Mars the Avenger in the war at Philippi, when he was avenging his father, that is, Caesar. The forum was opened in haste, before the temple was finished (Augustus 29).

The temple is given duties of state. The Senate is to deliberate in it on wars and on the right to a triumph, those setting out for the provinces with a command are to be escorted from there, and victors on returning deposit the insignia of triumph there. Vengeance for Caesar, the vengeance of Philippi, is written into the very center of state ceremony.

Next to his own house on the Palatine, Augustus builds a temple of Apollo, because the god indicated the spot with a thunderbolt. He adds to it colonnades with Latin and Greek libraries. In old age he often convenes the Senate there (Augustus 29). He builds the temple of Jupiter the Thunderer after lightning grazed his litter during a night march in Cantabria and killed the slave walking before him with a torch. He does not build alone: he encourages other powerful men, and Suetonius names especially Agrippa, who raised many splendid buildings in Rome (Augustus 29).

Are the Octavian of the proscription lists and the Augustus of marble the same man? Compare.

Marble costs money, and peace and borders must be kept. See how far they reached over forty-one years.