Augustus was born on 23 September 63 BCE in Rome. The first Roman emperor, Augustus was born Gaius Octavius and was adopted in the will of his great-uncle Julius Caesar, whose assassination brought him into politics. After a power struggle with Mark Antony, whom he defeated at Actium in 31 BCE, he ended the civil wars that had plagued the Republic. In 27 BCE he accepted the title of Augustus and established the Principate, in which he kept the forms of the Republic while holding real power. His long rule brought peace, which Romans called the Pax Romana, a reorganised army and provinces, and a programme of building in Rome. He was succeeded by his stepson Tiberius.
Before and after
- 13 January 69 BCEBirth of Cleopatra
- from 66 BCE to 217 CERoman–Parthian Wars
- 8 December 65 BCEBirth of Horace
- 63 BCEBirth of Strabo
- 23 September 63 BCEBirth of Augustus
- from 60 BCE to 106 CEDacia
- from 59 BCE to 51 BCECaesar begins the conquest of Gaul
- 58 BCEPublication of Commentarii de Bello Gallico
- 58 BCEBattle of Vosges
More in Wars, politics & history
- c. 3,101 BCENarmer unifies Egypt
- from c. 1,258 BCE to 1,180 BCETrojan War
- c. 510 BCEThe Roman Republic is founded
- 147 BCERome destroys Carthage
- from 74 BCE to 72 BCEThe slave revolt of Spartacus
- 24 August 410 CEAlaric and the Visigoths sack Rome
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 1st century BCE.