Abstract
After the civil wars Augustus had a free hand to reshape the foreign policy of Rome as thoroughly as he had reconstructed its internal administration. With all the armed forces of the Empire at his permanent disposal, he had ample means to resume and to extend Caesar’s schemes of conquest. Public opinion at Rome, which had but recently hailed him as the bringer of internal peace, presently urged him to fresh wars against foreign enemies, including Britain and Parthia. The emperor perceived that by advancing the Roman frontiers he might strengthen the defences of empire at some points and open new avenues of trade at others. He realised the need of finding employment for the troops, so as to turn their thoughts from fresh civil wars, and he was not loth to provide opportunities of military distinction for the younger members of his family On the other hand Augustus could not be blind to what the Senate of the later Republic had clearly seen, that foreign expeditions were a seed-bed of military usurpations.
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Notes and References
For Petronius’s expedition see S. Jameson, YRS 1968, 71 ff., who believes that Augustus’s real intention was conquest.
On Ethiopia see P. L. Shinnie, Meroë (1967).
On the destruction of Aden see M. P. Charles-Worth, Cl. Rev. 1928, 99.
On the Indian embassies (Res Gestae 31.1), see E. H. Warmington, The Commerce between the Roman Empire and India (1928), 35 ff., who shows that more than one mission reached Rome.
On the colonies see B. Levick, Roman Colonies in Southern Asia Minor (1967).
On the Spanish Wars see R. Syme, AJPhil. 1934, 293 ff.;
W. Schmitthenner, Historia 1962, 29 ff.
For the sources see A. Schulten, Fontes Hispaniae Antiquae (1940), 183 ff.
On the Augustan reorganisation see C. H. V. Sutherland, The Romans in Spain (1939), ch. vii.
On Gaul see N. J. de Witt, Urbanisation and the Franchise in Roman Gaul (1940);
O. Brogan, Roman Gaul (1953);
J. J. Hatt, Histoire de la Gaule romaine (1966); A. Grenier in T. Frank, Econ.SRE iii. 379 ff.
For the surviving monuments see P. MacKendrick, Roman France (1972).
On archaeological work in Gaul carried out from 1955 to 1970 see R. Chevallier, JRS 1971, 243 ff.
Coinage throws much light on the native British dynasties before the Claudian conquest. For the 100 years between Caesar and Claudius see S. S. Frere, Britannia (1967), ch. 3. On contacts and trade between Gaul and Britain see Strabo, iii. 199–201.
On the Augustan conquest of this whole area see J. J. Wilkes, Dalmatia (1969), ch. 5.
On the history of Noricum see G. Alföldy, Noricum (1974).
On the imperial Roman army see H. M. D. Parker, The Roman Legions (1958);
G. L. Cheesman, The Auxilia of the Imperial Roman Army (1914);
G. Webster, The Roman Imperial Army (1969);
on army service from the point of view of the ordinary soldier, G. R. Watson, The Roman Soldier (1969).
See also M. Grant, The Army of the Caesars (1974).
On the collegia iuvenum see L. R. Taylor, JRS 1924, 158 ff.
On the navy see C. G. Starr, The Roman Imperial Navy (1960).
On Herod and his successors see A. H. M. Jones, The Herods of Judaea (1938)
M. Grant, Herod the Great (1971)
and H. W. Hoehner, Herod Antipas (1972).
On emperor-worship in general see L. Cerfaux and J. Tondriau, Le Culte des Souverains (1956); Le Culte des Souverains dans l’Empire romain, Entretiens Hardt, xix, 1973).
See also L. R. Taylor, The Divinity of the Roman Emperor (1931).
On the formula invented by Augustus for tactfully declining divine honours see M. P. Charlesworth, PBSR 1939, 1 ff.
On the provincial concilia see E. G. Hardy, Studies in Roman History (1906), ch. 13;
P. Guiraud. Les Assemblées provinciales dans l’empire romain (1887);
D. Magie, Roman Rule in Asia Minor (1950);
J. A. O. Larsen, Representative Government in Greek and Roman History (1955), 106 ff.
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© 1975 The representatives of the estate of the late M. Cary and H. H. Scullard
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Cary, M., Scullard, H.H. (1975). The Roman Empire under Augustus. In: A History of Rome. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-02415-5_31
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