Augustus, First Roman Emperor: Power, Propaganda and The Politics of Survival

So mighty was the name of Augustus, first Roman emperor and adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar, that the Roman month of Sextilis was renamed in his honour.

This book presents a fascinating analysis of the ways in which Augustus was able to manipulate the mechanisms of power during his long reign (27 B.C.-14 A.D.). Augustus emerges as the classical world's true master of 'spin', demonstrating that political propaganda is far from just a modern phenomenon.

Matthew Clark considers the Emperor's relationships with Maecenas, his political advisor, and Agrippa, his great commander, and the contrasting fates of Rome's most famous poets, Virgil and Ovid. He brings Augustus' political maneuvering to life and helps us to understand just how he was able to rise to supremacy, maintain power throughout his reign and create a lasting legacy.

Matthew D. H. Clark teaches classics at the Shrewsbury School, England and is the coauthor of Measuring the Cosmos: How Scientists Discovered the Dimensions of the Universe.