Politics

This section of the site will explain what the politics were like at the time when the Aeneid was written. It was written from 29 to 19 AD. This is when Augustus was the first emperor of the Roman Empire. The common idea is that this epic poem was written by Vergil as propaganda for Augustus.

Having said this, who is Augustus? How did he come into power? What did he do for the Roman world? How did he change the political arena? The following video discusses all of the above:

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It is vital to understand that during this time, Rome was just entering the phase of Empire. Augustus marks the beginning of the Empire, but shortly before him, Rome was a Republic. So, then, it is important to ask two questions:

1. What was the government like in the Roman [|Republic]? 2. What was the government like in the Roman [|Empire] ?

Below is a picture of a coin picturing Augustus and a star which says "Divus Julius." The star symbolizes the deification of Julius Caesar, Augustus' adopted father.



For more information on Augustus and pictures of Augustus on coins and statuary, click [|here.]

In addition, to get an even more comprehensive understanding of the accomplishments of Augustus during his lifetime, how he changed Rome forever, and to get more of a sense of what it was like politically while Vergil was writing the Aeneid, the following link will be helpful. It is the funerary inscription of Augustus, known as the [|Res Gestae.]