The Antagonist

Before launching into this week's blog, I want to be sure everybody is aware that the Kindle edition of my upcoming book, Antonius: Soldier of Fate is now available for PRE-ORDER on Amazon. For those readers interested in print copies, I will let everyone know when they are available for pre-order, as well. Hopefully in a few weeks. 

This week, I'm delighted to introduce the antagonist of my story: Gaius Octavian Caesar Augustus. This humble-looking bust at right is Octavian at a very young age--probably around the time of Julius Caesar's assassination and Octavian's ascension into the world of politics. He would have been nineteen or twenty years old. I've always loved seeing this work, found at the Capitoline Museum, for it captures Octavian at his most vulnerable--before he assumed absolute power. It's also much more veristic, unlike the Augustan art following his principate, which is idealistic--more like Classical Greek sculpture. Unfortunately, this one is a difficult piece to photograph, for it's high up on a shelf about four feet above my own height, and whenever I'm there and attempt a picture, I wind up wishing for a ladder!

In my story, it's never easy to reveal Octavian's pleasing traits, since he was Antonius's enemy, and my books are all from Antonius's point of view. So this blog is an opportunity to sing Octavian's praises, for my story reveals some of his ruthless cruelty all too well.

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​The stunning aureus at left was minted by some of Antonius's constituents in 41 BC. This was right after the Battle of Philippi and the fall of Brutus and Cassius, when Antonius chose the East and Octavian chose to remain in the West. Again, this beautiful coin depicts Octavian when he was extremely young--still getting his feet wet in the political scene.

Octavian's father died in his early youth and his mother, Atia, remarried Lucius Marcius Philippus. Young Octavian maintained close ties to his stepfather, but when Philippus encouraged him to reject his inheritance from Julius Caesar, Octavian refused to do so.

As great nephew to Caesar, it's unclear how close he was to the Dictator. However, Caesar obviously valued him. Around the time of his Triumphs in 45 BC, Caesar either visited Octavian in his ill health or sent trusted colleagues in his place. Yes,Octavian suffered a great deal of his life from un-named maladies. Whether they were severe allergies, asthma, or maybe malaria, the young man just wasn't healthy. As a result, he never excelled at the same physical training as most men of his social status. Perhaps it was due to this that he befriended a young man of his own age, who would serve him faithfully and remain close to him through middle age--Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa--a man who did have the martial skills needed to help Octavian rise to prominence. 

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Allow me to apologize for the poor photo at right. However, I wanted to include it because it helped me immensely in my own portrayal of Octavian. Taken from primary sources, Anthony Everitt, in his fabulous Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor, describes the future emperor: 

"He was not very tall, perhaps only five feet, six inches, but, writes Suetonius, 'with body and limbs so beautifully proportioned, one did not realize how small a man he was, unless someone tall stood close to him.' He had near-blond curly hair, small teeth, and clear, bright eyes."

Inside the phenomenal collection at the Vatican Museum, resides a statue that Classicists visit as though it was Mecca. The Prima-Porta Augustus is one of the sublime examples of Augustan art--for indeed, it was crafted during the years when Octavian--having been named Augustus (exalted one) by the Senate, was at the height of his power. It found a home inside a villa at Prima Porta, Italy, where his wife, the Empress Livia, had a villa. One can still see the spot where historians believe it once rested. Among the many artistic analyses the Prima Porta Augustus has endured, one was especially fascinating. It's no secret that ancient statuary were painted--sometimes garishly. The Prima Porta Augustus was no different from any other statue, and fortunately, enough tiny flakes of pigment remained for art historians to determine what the statue's colors were like in ancient times. Though Everitt's description, based upon Suetonius, described him as "blond", I chose to give my Octavian strawberry-blond hair, based upon this recreation.

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It took me three visits to Rome before I finally stood before Octavian's Prima Porta presence. The first two trips (frustrated me!) left me behind barriers within the Vatican Museum that had been closed off to guests. Last year, was my best shot at it of any, as it had finally been opened and I got to view it within its original niche in the building. The photo I took bears testimony to what a spectacular piece it is. 

Octavian was big on symbolism in his rule. He gave tax-breaks to Romans who married and had multiple children, frowned on extra-marital affairs (even though he had them himself, and so did members of his family), and he glorified the god Apollo and the deity's many symbols, for he believed Apollo bestowed upon him the right to lead the Roman state. 

I have spent years analyzing this unique, gifted, yet cold and calculating man, who had oft-times been near death in his early years. Octavian struggled for supremacy against Antonius, and finally lived on to lead Rome through her Pax Romana--the great Augustan peace, I found that his most powerful advantage had been his dearest motto: "festina lente"-- "hasten slowly". But another of his assets was that Octavian was the original spin-doctor. His greatest power over people was his willingness to use rhetoric (and often lies) in the Senate to turn the tables on his enemies--and his greatest enemy was Antonius. Whether it was manipulating the Roman Senate to his favor, or using a declaration of war to appear as the savior of his country, Octavian was truly a prince of propaganda. 

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​One of my favorite museums in Rome is the Palazzo Massimo--a museum of ancient Roman civilization. Inside is another likeness of Octavian--the Pious Augustus. This statue captures Octavian Augustus at worship to the Roman gods. If the hands had not been broken, perhaps they would have held a small plate of offerings. One clue as to what he was doing is that his head was covered. Ancient Romans often covered their heads in worship or grief. And Octavian liked to appear as the "traditional" Roman against Antonius's free thinking.

In 14 AD, following a good forty years of successful rule of Rome's Empire, which virtually paved the way for western civilization, Octavian Augustus took ill at Capri. He and Livia returned to Neapolis (Naples) and there, it is believed that Livia poisoned some figs, which he ate. Most likely, she did this so that her own son, Tiberius, could become the next "Caesar". And he did, beginning more tumultuous years of terror and violence which would ever haunt the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Octavian Augustus died, just inside from the garden where a fig-tree stood, the fruit of which had been poisoned by his wife. Truly, he'd brought Rome out of the horror of one-hundred years of civil war. However, Rome was to be ruled by one man for the rest of her preeminence as a super-power in the Mediterranean. Buried in the tumulus he had started building while Antonius was still his rival, the Tomb of Augustus is still standing today, and has been undergoing recent renovations in anticipation of a celebration in the Emperor's honor. I look forward to going there upon my next visit. 

Rome's first emperor was titled "princeps", meaning "first citizen". Despite his many building projects, level-headed governance, and his claim that "I found Rome built of clay: but I leave it in marble," Octavian's earlier years had been drenched in the blood of those who he had conquered, many of them innocent souls.

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