Augustus Caesar-Why Was He an Effective Leader or the Best CEO Rome Ever Had?
Name______Date______
Directions: In the reading below underline all the phrases that describe the actions of Augustus that made him a successful and effective ruler. Circle all the phrases that show life was good within the Roman Empire.
From Rome, Inc. by Stanley Bing
In thanks for his (Augustus’) wonderful deeds, the Senate threw parties for the immortal gods in his honor fifty-five times. That’s a lot, but it pales beside the 890 days on which the Senate decreed there would be lesser sacrifices. He was consul thirteen times and tribune, which was not emperor but was not chopped liver either, for nearly forty years running.
Yet while he ran the whole show from Sicily to the Norse country, he never, ever agreed to be dictator or king for life, although that in fact was what he was. He had statues to himself taken down from Hispania to Syria, once again playing up to the Roman idea of itself. He also shared his offices on many occasions with officials who I’m sure gave him no trouble whatsoever….
He added a significant number of new blood into the ranks of middle management, and conducted a census (count) on a regular basis of his growing empire. Between 29 B.C. and 15 A.D., under his leadership, Rome grew from four million to nearly six million happy pagans.
Although not as generous as Antony………….Augustus paid a mother lode of raw cash to Rome and to every breathing Roman over a period of years……..He paid for grain and gave it out to everybody, paid for the land he needed to give his soldiers when they came back from the latest bout of hacking and slashing, paid about 600 million sesterces for Italian estates he simply could have seized (taken) and 260 million for provincial fields that were his for the taking if he wished. Everybody got a taste: nobody who was loyal did without. In the end, the money he spent on various public treasuries, discharged soldiers, or gave to the Roman people directly came to 2.4 billion sesterces.
This was the Rome you wanted to live in. It was free of pirates at sea, you didn’t have to worry about slave rebellions which were a big worry for hundreds of years, and because he pardoned (forgave) about eight hundred thousand of the rebellious people and in exchange for their loyalty, gave them land, and helped them start new cities where they could become the kind of rich Romans you and I would like to be one day.
The world he created was safe for the Romans from the mouth of the Rhine river on the east and to the north to the land of the Cimbri. South to Armenia-where he conquered and then reinstalled the local king, making a friend for life. A little fighting here. A fistful of money there. Pretty soon it was all Rome, and that was a beautiful thing, nary a hand was lifted against his neighbor in anger, and the money flowed back and forth.
Why was Augusts an effective and successful ruler?
Name______Date______
Claim: Augustus was a successful and effective ruler because______
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Evidence (use sentences)______
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Conclusion (re-write claim using different words)______
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Scoring Rubric 20 points possible------/ Excellent / Good / Fair / PoorClaim is clearly stated and gives specific information about Augustus. Conclusion re-states claim / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2
Uses specific evidence from reading and class notes / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2
Evidence is explained uses descriptive details and is clearly connected to claim / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2
Writing has few errors, uses a variety of sentence structures and appropriate word choices / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2