General Notes

(Research):Atia, niece of Julius Caesar, died in 43 B.C., m
arried (1) Caius Octavius IV , Senator-Praetor and Governo
r of Macedonia, died in 59 B.C., belonged to an old and res
pectable but not distinguished family from Velitrae. He wa
s the son of Caius Octavius III., municipal magistrate of V
elitrae. He was the son of Caius Octavius II., a military t
ribune in Sicily, 226 B.C. His father was Caius Octavius I.
, son of Eneius Octavius Rufus, the Quaestor, or Chancello
r of the Republic, living about 330 B.C., the time of Alexa
nder the Great, and brother of Eneius Octavius, a Roman Adm
iral under Scipio Africanus in the Second Punic War. Caiu
s Octavius IV. married (2) Ancharia, and they had Octavia t
he Older. Atia and Caius Octavius IV. had the following chi
ldren:
1. Octavia the Elder, sister of Augustus Octavius Caesar an
d wife of Mark Antony II. See below.
2. Caius Augustus Octavius (Octavian) Caesar (C. Julius Cae
sar Octavianus Augustus), called Caesar Augustus in the Ne
w Testament of the Bible, St. Luke 2:1, born September 23
, 63 B.C., died August, A.D. 14, was the first Roman Empero
r (27 B.C.-A.D. 14). As Julius Caesar had been murdered fo
r his aim to efface the Constitution of the Roman Republi
c of 460 years' standing. Augustus was slow to claim Caesar
's power as Imperator but, as the sole survivor of the seco
nd Triumvirate and, though still a young an, was master o
f the world and willing to be known as "the first citizen o
f a free republic," he enjoyed the honorary title of Prince
ps Senatus (Chief of the Senate), which office was not here
ditary. Augustus annulled the unconstitutional acts of th
e Triumvirs and in a decree to the Senate of January 13, 2
7 B.C. was officially described as having "restored the rep
ublic" but, on the day those liberties were restored, the
y were resigned once for all into the hands of their restor
er. Lacking Caesar's commanding genius, Augustus possesse
d the infinite tact and patience which succeeds where geniu
s fails. He knew that men are ruled by imagination, rathe
r than by force. Thus he preserved the Roman Republic in na
me, inviolate, and was careful to assume no title such as k
ing or dictator, which would be offensive to Roman sentimen
t. "Augustus" is a mere title, of which the nearest counter
part is to sought in the phrase "by the grace of God," appl
ied to modern rulers. He was, nevertheless, the first Emper
or of Rome. The title of "Augusta" was later conferred upo
n fewer than ten favored women, some mentioned below. His a
rmy suffering defeat, Augustus' spirit was broken and the l
ast years of his long reign were clouded with failure. He n
ot only desired the admiration of his people but also sough
t their worship. Falling ill on a journey to Campania he me
t the painless death he hoped for, in Livia's arms, Augus
t 19, 14 A.D., aged 76, having reigned for 41 years, succee
ded by Tiberius, who ruled from 14 A.D. to 37 A.D. In his h
onor the month of August was named for Augustus. The Roma
n Empire, which he founded, lasted 500 years, from 29 B.C
. to 476 A.D. He married (1) Claudia (Clodia), with no issu
e, and (2) Scribonia, from whom he later obtained a divorce.