Augustan

​Augustan
I guess I asked for it.  Lately I have been giving a dictionary to someone and asking them to shut their eyes and open it and randomly point to a word.  I have decided to make that the word I write about.
The latest was Augustan.
Apparently it can be used either as an adjective and mean “connected with or occurring during the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus,” or a noun and mean “a writer of the (Latin or English) Augustan period or style.”
I have decided to go with the adjective meaning.
I do love some of the writers in the Augustan period (ended with Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift) but reading up about them requires more work than I am willing to put in.  Besides, I studied Ancient History at school.  I am sure Augustus got a mention.  It could only have been in passing though.  I do not remember opening our books and spending multiple periods studying Augustus.
I do remember Dorian architecture though.  Goodness knows why.  Many pillars of the old structures from Roman times featured that.  So, if you wanted to know something about Dorian architecture, I’m your man.  Well, not really, and I would prefer you did not ask me anything as I am likely just to show my ignorance.  Still, it did make some sort of impression.
I have been reading about Augustus.  Gotta say, I have been impressed.  There was no doubt he was cruel in getting what he wanted, but he ended up not being that way as he got what he wanted.
He started life as Octavius but changed his name to Augustus (August = exalted one).  He named a month after himself just as Julius Caesar had done (July).
A couple of things about him really got my attention.  He seemed to know what he wanted.  He was actually pretty ruthless in pursuing it.  He wiped out anyone who stood in his way.  He realized Julius Caesar was betrayed, and he was not going to let that happen to him.  His solution?  Wipe out those who were likely to cause him trouble.  He was why Mark Anthony suicided.  Although they shared power at one stage (with Augustus number one) and Anthony was forced to marry Augustus’s sister, he divorced her.  That led to war.   In the end Mark Anthony (of Anthony and Cleopatra fame) ended it all when Augustus navy defeated his.  Anthony and Cleopatra returned to Egypt and ended it all.
I thought it was interesting how what he did was calculated to fulfil his aim of leading the empire.  There seemed to be so many actions that were calculated to increase his powerbase.
A lasting legacy of his though seems to be the beginnings of a civil service.  It is simple, but to me delegating is so important.  Mostly a vision is too big for one person.  When all who want to be involved are, big things can happen.
There is no doubt studying Augustus was interesting but I am ready to move on now.