51 moments

1. Born on the Palatine Hill

   0063-09-23 BC · Palatine Hill, Rome, Italy

   

   Gaius Octavius, the future Augustus, was born at a family property called Ox Head on Rome’s Palatine Hill. The precise ancient-calendar equivalent has been debated, although 23 September is conventional.

2. Assumes the toga of manhood

   0047-10-18 BC · Rome, Italy

   

   Octavius formally entered Roman adult civic life by assuming the toga virilis in Rome. Modern accounts differ between 48 and 47 BC and over his stated age; 18 October 47 BC follows Goldsworthy and Southern as reported by the source.

3. Presides over Caesar’s Greek games

   0046-01-01 BC · Temple of Venus Genetrix, Forum of Caesar, Rome, Italy

   

   In Rome, Octavius presided over games commemorating the opening of Julius Caesar’s Temple of Venus Genetrix, an early public duty under Caesar’s patronage. The year follows the preceding 47 BC event in the source.

4. Begins training at Apollonia

   0045-01-01 BC · Apollonia, Fier County, Albania

   

   Late in 45 BC, Caesar sent Octavius and his companions to Apollonia for academic and military training ahead of the planned Parthian expedition.

5. Follows Caesar into Hispania

   0045-01-01 BC · Roman Hispania, Spain

   

   Despite recent illness and a hazardous journey, Octavius traveled to Hispania to join Julius Caesar during the final campaign against Pompey’s sons. The source establishes Hispania but not the precise camp; coordinates are a representative point in southern Hispania, the campaign’s principal theater.

6. At Apollonia when Caesar is assassinated

   0044-03-15 BC · Apollonia, Fier County, Albania

   

   Octavius was studying and training at Apollonia when news arrived that Julius Caesar had been assassinated in Rome.

7. Returns to Rome as Caesar’s heir

   0044-05-06 BC · Rome, Italy

   

   After returning from Illyria through southern Italy, the young heir entered Rome and began contesting Mark Antony’s leadership of Caesar’s faction.

8. Enters Rome with a private army

   0044-11-01 BC · Rome, Italy

   

   Octavian briefly brought his newly recruited Caesarian force into Rome to challenge Antony, a decisive escalation in their rivalry.

9. Campaigns to relieve Mutina

   0043-04-01 BC · Mutina, modern Modena, Italy

   

   Now holding senatorial command, Octavian accompanied the consular armies sent against Antony during the War of Mutina. The relief campaign culminated in the April 43 BC battles of Forum Gallorum and Mutina.

10. Marches on the capital

    0043-08-01 BC · Campus Martius, Rome, Italy

    

    After the Senate refused his soldiers’ demands, Octavian marched against Rome and used military pressure to obtain the consulship.

11. Forms the Second Triumvirate near Bononia

    0043-10-01 BC · Bononia, modern Bologna, Italy

    

    Octavian met Antony and Lepidus near Bononia, where the three negotiated the alliance subsequently legalized as the Second Triumvirate. The meeting site was near, rather than necessarily inside, ancient Bononia; settlement coordinates are used.

12. Commands north of the Via Egnatia

    0042-10-01 BC · Via Egnatia battlefield, Philippi, Greece

    

    At Philippi, Octavian’s position lay north of the Via Egnatia opposite Brutus’s forces; illness limited him during the first battle. Coordinates represent the battlefield west of ancient Philippi.

13. Fights at Philippi

    0042-10-01 BC · Battlefield of Philippi, Eastern Macedonia, Greece

    

    Octavian and Antony brought the triumviral armies into Macedonia and defeated Brutus and Cassius in two battles near Philippi.

14. Forces Perusia’s surrender

    0040-02-01 BC · Perusia, modern Perugia, Italy

    

    Octavian directed the siege that ended the Perusine War with the surrender of Lucius Antonius and his supporters.

15. Attacked by a Roman food-riot mob

    0039-01-01 BC · Rome, Italy

    

    During the grain crisis caused by Sextus Pompey’s blockade, Octavian and Antony were physically attacked by a hostile crowd in Rome.

16. Retreats to Campania after naval defeats

    0038-01-01 BC · Campania, Italy

    

    After unsuccessful naval engagements near Cumae and Messana, Octavian withdrew into Campania while seeking Antony’s assistance. The quoted sentence follows the source’s dating of the battles to spring 38 BC; coordinates are representative of central coastal Campania.

17. Meets Antony at Tarentum

    0037-01-01 BC · Tarentum, modern Taranto, Italy

    

    At Tarentum, Antony supplied ships for Octavian’s renewed campaign against Sextus Pompey, extending their political arrangement.

18. Launches the Sicilian invasion

    0036-07-01 BC · Sicily, Italy

    

    Octavian and Lepidus opened a coordinated, three-pronged invasion of Sextus Pompey’s Sicilian stronghold. Coordinates represent central Sicily because the quotation supports multiple landings rather than one exact site.

19. Wounded near Taormina

    0036-08-01 BC · Taormina, Sicily, Italy

    

    During the Sicilian campaign, Octavian suffered defeat and serious injury near ancient Tauromenium. The preceding source text dates the event to August 36 BC.

20. Enters Lepidus’s Sicilian camp

    0036-09-01 BC · Lepidus’s camp near Messana, Sicily, Italy

    

    Following Sextus Pompey’s defeat, Octavian personally entered Lepidus’s camp and secured the allegiance of much of his colleague’s army. The precise camp location is not identified; coordinates represent the Messana area, where Lepidus concentrated his forces after the campaign.

21. Captures Segesta-Siscia

    0035-01-01 BC · Siscia, modern Sisak, Croatia

    In his first Illyrian campaign, Octavian captured the strategically important settlement of Segesta, later known as Siscia.

22. Wounded during the siege of Metulum

    0035-01-01 BC · Probable site of Metulum, near Josipdol, Croatia

    

    Octavian was injured when a siege structure collapsed during his assault on the Iapydian stronghold of Metulum. Metulum’s identification near Josipdol is probable but not certain; coordinates are representative of the commonly proposed site.

23. Returns toward Dalmatia

    0034-01-01 BC · Dalmatia, Croatia

    

    After a report of trouble at Segesta, Octavian hurried from Rome and resumed operations by moving his army toward Dalmatia. The movement occurred during the winter of 35–34 BC; coordinates are representative of central Dalmatia.

24. Receives Dalmatian submission

    0033-01-01 BC · Dalmatia, Croatia

    

    Octavian returned to Dalmatia in spring 33 BC and received tribute, hostages, and Roman standards previously captured by the Delmatae. The exact reception site is not specified; central Dalmatia is represented.

25. Confronts Antony’s supporters in the Senate

    0032-01-01 BC · Roman Senate house, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy

    

    As the final political rupture with Antony unfolded, Octavian entered the Senate house and denounced Antony and the pro-Antonian consul Gaius Sosius. The precise Senate meeting venue is not named; the Curia Julia is used as the representative Senate house.

26. Encamps near Actium

    0031-01-01 BC · Actium, Aetolia-Acarnania, Greece

    

    Octavian transferred his army across the Adriatic and established forces near Actium while Agrippa severed Antony’s maritime supply routes.

27. Lands in Epirus

    0031-01-01 BC · Epirus, Greece

    

    Octavian crossed to the western Greek theater of war, landed in Epirus, and marched south against Antony and Cleopatra. The source does not specify the landing beach; coordinates represent coastal Epirus.

28. Wins the Battle of Actium

    0031-09-02 BC · Battle of Actium, Ionian Sea off western Greece

    

    Octavian was present with his forces at the decisive naval battle that broke Antony and Cleopatra’s challenge for control of the Roman world. The pronoun refers to the opposing forces described immediately beforehand; coordinates represent the waters outside the Ambracian Gulf.

29. Arrives to besiege Alexandria

    0030-01-01 BC · Alexandria, Egypt

    

    Octavian reached Alexandria with his legions and completed the military defeat of Antony and Cleopatra. The arrival occurred shortly before the city’s fall on 1 August 30 BC.

30. Passes through Syria en route to Egypt

    0030-01-01 BC · Roman Syria, represented by Antioch, Turkey

    

    Octavian’s eastern approach to Alexandria continued through Roman Syria, preventing Antony from rebuilding support among Rome’s eastern clients. The source establishes travel through Syria but not a specific settlement; Antioch is a representative provincial coordinate.

31. Stops at Brundisium during the soldiers’ mutiny

    0030-01-01 BC · Brundisium, modern Brindisi, Italy

    

    On the way from Samos, Octavian returned to Italy and spent twenty-seven days at Brundisium satisfying demands for discharge and rewards. Suetonius places this stop after Actium and before Octavian’s 30 BC advance on Egypt.

32. Travels through Roman Asia

    0030-01-01 BC · Roman province of Asia, western Turkey

    

    Rather than sail directly to Egypt, Octavian took an overland and coastal route through Roman Asia while consolidating the eastern provinces. The itinerary does not name a specific Asian city; Ephesus is used as a representative provincial point.

33. Visits Alexander the Great’s tomb

    0030-01-01 BC · Tomb of Alexander the Great, Alexandria, Egypt

    While settling conquered Egypt, Octavian visited and honored the body of Alexander the Great, whose imperial image influenced his own representation. The tomb’s exact location is lost; coordinates represent the ancient royal quarter traditionally associated with the Soma.

34. Winters on Samos after Actium

    0030-01-01 BC · Samos, North Aegean, Greece

    

    Following the Actium campaign, Octavian used Samos as winter quarters before continuing the war and settlement of the eastern provinces. This was the winter spanning late 31 and early 30 BC.

35. Defeats Antony at Alexandria

    0030-08-01 BC · Alexandria, Egypt

    

    Alexandria fell to Octavian on 1 August; Antony died by suicide, and Cleopatra followed soon afterward.

36. Celebrates three Roman triumphs

    0029-08-01 BC · Triumphal route, Rome, Italy

    

    Octavian returned to Rome and celebrated consecutive triumphs for victories in Illyria, Actium, and Egypt.

37. Leaves Rome for Gaul

    0027-01-01 BC · Roman Gaul, France

    

    In the first summer of his principate, Augustus left Rome to inspect and reorganize the western provinces. The source does not identify his exact Gallic itinerary; coordinates represent the broader province.

38. Maintains his principal Palatine residence

    0027-01-01 BC · Palatine Hill, Rome, Italy

    

    During the establishment of the principate, Augustus’s principal Roman home was the relatively modest former house of Hortensius on the Palatine. The source attests a residence lasting more than forty years but gives no exact starting year; 27 BC is a representative date within the securely attested period.

39. Campaigns personally against the Cantabrians

    0026-01-01 BC · Cantabria, Spain

    

    Augustus personally directed warfare against the Cantabrians in northern Hispania, one of only two foreign wars he conducted in person. The evidence supports Cantabria broadly rather than a specific battlefield; coordinates are representative.

40. Governs from Tarraco

    0026-01-01 BC · Tarraco, modern Tarragona, Spain

    Augustus established himself at Tarraco as the administrative center for his direction of the Cantabrian campaigns and western provincial business. This card marks the beginning of a multiyear residence extending through 24 BC.

41. Retires ill to Tarraco

    0025-01-01 BC · Tarraco, modern Tarragona, Spain

    Illness forced Augustus away from the immediate northern front and back to his headquarters at Tarraco, while the Cantabrian conflict continued. The source’s relative dating places the retirement in 25 BC.

42. Receives Kushite peace envoys on Samos

    0022-01-01 BC · Samos, North Aegean, Greece

    

    During his eastern tour, Augustus received diplomats from Queen Amanirenas of Kush on Samos and concluded a settlement governing the Roman–Kushite frontier. The negotiations are generally placed during Augustus’s eastern journey of 22–20 BC.

43. Tours Sicily instead of seeking the consulship

    0022-01-01 BC · Sicily, Italy

    

    Augustus traveled to Sicily during another imperial tour, while political unrest in Rome led voters to attempt to elect him consul in absentia. No particular Sicilian city is specified; central-island coordinates are representative.

44. Begins a three-year stay in Gaul

    0016-01-01 BC · Roman Gaul, France

    

    After the Clades Lolliana on the Rhine, Augustus traveled to Gaul and remained in the western provinces while reorganizing frontier administration and defenses. The stay is conventionally dated from 16 to 13 BC; the source does not specify his initial Gallic base.

45. Works from Lugdunum and the Rhine frontier

    0014-01-01 BC · Lugdunum, modern Lyon, France

    

    During the western reorganization, Augustus spent time at Lugdunum and inspected the Rhine frontier, where permanent Roman military infrastructure was expanding. The quotation supports both Lugdunum and the Rhine; this card uses Lugdunum as the specifically named settlement.

46. Delivers a eulogy for Drusus

    0009-01-01 BC · Rome, Italy

    

    After Drusus died during his German campaigns, his body was brought to Rome, where Augustus joined Tiberius in delivering funeral eulogies. Drusus died in 9 BC; the exact Roman venue of Augustus’s eulogy is not specified.

47. Adopts Tiberius in Rome

    0004-06-01 · Rome, Italy

    

    Following the deaths of Gaius and Lucius Caesar, Augustus recalled Tiberius and formally adopted him, restructuring the imperial succession.

48. Attends games at Naples

    0014-01-01 · Naples, Campania, Italy

    

    Although already ill, Augustus crossed to Naples and attended a quinquennial gymnastic contest established in his honor. The source places this on Augustus’s final journey in AD 14 but does not give the precise day.

49. Begins his final journey at Astura

    0014-01-01 · Astura, modern Torre Astura, Lazio, Italy

    

    On his last journey from Rome toward Campania, Augustus traveled to Astura and embarked by night after finding a favorable wind. Suetonius narrates this as Augustus’s final journey in AD 14 but gives no day for the Astura stop.

50. Spends four days at his Capri villa

    0014-01-01 · Capri, Campania, Italy

    

    Augustus rested and socialized for four days at his villa on Capri during the coastal journey that preceded his death. Capreae is modern Capri; the exact villa is not identified in the quoted source.

51. Dies while visiting Nola

    0014-08-19 · Nola, Campania, Italy

    

    Augustus’s illness worsened after his Campanian journey. He died at Nola, in the same town where his father had died, leaving Tiberius as successor.