Res gestae - Tatenbericht

Classical Studies Pedagogy

by Augustus

Die Res Gestae Divi Augusti („Die Taten des vergöttlichten Augustus“) waren der Leistungs- oder Rechenschaftsbericht des ersten römischen Kaisers Augustus, eine in der ersten Person verfasste Darstellung seines Lebens, seiner Verdienste und Ehrungen. Nach der am besten erhaltenen Kopie wird das Werk auch Monumentum Ancyranum genannt. Theodor Mommsen, der auch einen bis heute wichtigen Kommentar verfasst hat, bezeichnete die Res Gestae als „Königin der antiken Inschriften“.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Classics, Biography, Ancient, Ancient History, Roman History

88 pages

About the author

born 23 September 63 BC
died 19 August AD 14

Gaius Octavius, born grandnephew of Gaius Julius Caesar, after whose assassination in 44 BC took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, to whom English texts often referred simply as Octavian, defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 31 BC, subsequently gained control over extensive territories of Rome, and reigned from 27 BC as its first emperor, given the honorary title Augustus.

The power struggle with Antony and Augustus at the battle of Philippi defeated Marcus Junius Brutus.

Marcus Aemilius Lepidus joined as a member of the triumvirate with Augustus and Antony from 43 BC to 36 BC.

Augustus founded Augsburg (now in Germany) as a Roman garrison circa 14 BC.

An Augustan relates to reign of Augustus, considered as a time of great prosperity in the Roman Empire and great refinement in Latin literature.

After Augustus, people named August, the eighth month of the year in the calendar.

Also named:
- Gaius Octavius Thurinus
- Octavius, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus
- Gaius Julius Caesar Divi Filius
- Imperator Caesar Divi Filius
- Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus

He, the founder, thus laid the foundations of a regime that lasted for nearly fifteen centuries until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Reviews

[Miranda Alford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is literally hilarious and it is so funny to read. It is the biggest piece of personal statement bullshit I've ever seen, honestly it is so great. And i'm even more happier because this counts towards my reading goal *cackle cackle*

This was set up as an inscription outside the big ass mausoleum of Augustus, detailing the achievements of Augustus and how absolutely spiffing he was, mans really was vain wasn't he??? "at the age of 19... I restored liberty to the republic." and this is just the first sentence- like i said hilarious and all for the wrong reasons. I think my humour is just laughing at people trying desperately to big themselves up.

"The Capitolium and the theatre of Pompey, both works involving great expense, I rebuilt without any inscription of my own name." - I mean come on this is so funny he's trying so so so hard to prove himself to future generations and instead you just get me slightly roasting you; what a sad little life Jane.

In terms of historical context it's actually really interesting as it details the re-invigoration of Roman religion and the census of over several years; just under 5 million Romans in Ad 14!!! I'm actually so sad lmao but yes it was fully a very interesting read and if you ever need to explain propaganda just throw this in people's faces.

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

One day I hope to write as good a grand testimony to my greatness like Augustus did here.

[Smand]

Sağlam bir çalışmanın ürünü. Augustus’un satırlarından bir imparatorun ömürlük dökümünün tüm açıklamaları notlar bölümünde aydınlatılmış. İlgililerin gözünden kaçmasın.

[S. Alberto ⁻⁷ (yearning) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble."

Res Gestae Divi Augusti offers an intriguing glimpse into the mind of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, and his efforts to shape his legacy. The text itself is a fascinating mix of self-promotion and historical record, showcasing Augustus' accomplishments and his vision for Rome. It’s a compelling read for anyone interested in the history of the Roman Empire and the shift from the Roman Republic to the imperial period.

What stands out in Res Gestae is Augustus' focus on his role in transforming Rome, from rebuilding the city to establishing peace after decades of civil war. The text also reflects his political skill in positioning himself as a caretaker of the Republic while accumulating significant power. However, the language and structure can feel somewhat repetitive, and the self-congratulatory tone can make it hard to engage at times.

Overall, it’s an important historical document that provides insight into the ambitions and strategies of Augustus, but it also sacrifices depth for a polished image of the emperor. For those interested in Roman history, it’s worth reading for the context it provides, though it may not be the most engaging literary work.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Augustus had a long and successful life as the emperor of Rome. Which was no small task. The Roman Republic was a government headed by 2 leaders and a complex system of checks and balances that had become intolerably corrupt and dysfunctional. It was a story of the Optimates, who favored the rich, and the Populares, who were rich themselves, but believed in spreading the wealth rather than hoarding it amongst themselves (is any of this sounding familiar?). There was significant conflict between these two, a fair amount of fighting, and ultimately the Optimates found Caesar so threatening that they banished him from Rome in 44 BC. Big mistake. The most successful general and leader of men in the history of Rome, who still had a standing army was told to disband his men and live in exile. That, as we know, did not go well for them. It went so badly that when Caesar crossed the Rubicon, meaning he defied the order the senate had given to him, the supposed defenders of Rome left. Caesar won the war, but was later assassinated by Optimates.

In steps Augustus, then known as Octavian. He was the 18 year old nephew of Caesar and not a battle hardened warrior. He was clever and politically savvy, and he had a life long faithful companion who was a brilliant general. Augustus managed to take Rome into peace after it had been at war with itself for over a 100 years. Before he died he wanted his accomplishments recorded and he wanted his mistakes forgotten, so he wrote what was short for a work of writing, but long for an inscription, the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, and had it inscribed on his mausoleum and on monuments across the Roman empire. Remarkable, and not too long a read.

[Dilara Dilek · Rating 1 out of 5]

In one word: hilarious 😂

[Eskil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selv om "Res Gestae Divi Augusti" som historisk dokument er et godt eksempel på politisk propaganda og fiffig formulering er det klart at Hilde Andreassens kommentarer og notater hever tekstutgaven til et høyere nivå. Innledninga til boka plasserer verket i tid og rom, og gir god oversikt over formålet og det tiltenkte publikumet til RGDA. Hver side brødtekst har minst like mange kommentarer og fotnoter som tekst, hvilket gjør at man både kan lese gjennom teksten som om man sto og leste på de originale bronsesøylene, eller finlese hvert kapittel (ca et avsnitt) med lupe for å belyse et av de mange aspektene ved verket. Appendiksen, med navn og begreper, vitner om en bok som ikke bare er grundig utarbeida, men også hvor mye man kan gå glipp av om en bare leser "originalen", og hvor mye Andreassens kommentarer tilføyer.

[Olivia Sussex]

Have read this a ridiculous number of times and I gotta say, Augustus, you did alright kid.

[Internaut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Å lese selve teksten til Augustus er som å lese en 2000 år gammel Donald Trump tale (full av selvskryt, overdrivelser og enkelte løgner). Det som gjør boken meget lesverdig er den informative og interessante innledningen, samt de meget omfattende og interessante notene.

[AB · Rating 5 out of 5]

My yearly reread on the 2008th anniversary of Augustus' death. A great little 'history' that always has something more to discover the further you read into it

[zakariah]

in all honesty i am acc having a bit of fun even if i’m suffering

[Antoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I transfered the Republic from my power to the dominion of the senate and people of Rome"

[Pax Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

my favourite thing about the Res Gestae is that Res Gestae basically translates to "Stuff I Did" so Augustus' autobiography is literally called "Stuff I Did"

[Sineala · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an example of how to present an edition of a text, this version of the Res Gestae definitely deserves five stars. There is a good introduction, the most thorough commentary (mostly historical) that you could ever, ever want, and the text itself is presented with Latin/English on the verso and Greek/English on the recto. Ah, the joys of bilingual inscriptions. You too can wonder why it is that all the numbers are given in sesterces in Latin and denarii in Greek. (Maybe the commentary answers this. I didn't look.)

I am taking away a star just for my personal impression of the text itself, which is that Augustus was kind of a power-hungry jerk who was not as humble as he was trying to come across. (You can tell I'm not actually a classicist, can't you? Hey, no one ever said these Goodreads reviews had to be objective.) On the other hand, he really does seem to have brought peace and done a lot of amazing things for Rome, and it's really neat to have something that purports to be by him and is an account of his reign. Hooray, primary sources!

Anyway. If you want to read the Res Gestae, get this edition. You probably already own it.

[Louis Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished Alison Cooley’s translation of the RGDA, very poor compared to Bushnel’s. She attacks the RGDA for its ‘lack of literary style’ in the introduction and then proceeds to prove that by simply extracting all of the literary style out of the Latin herself, leaving a bland, uninspired and unnecessary English translation. For example, Augustus’ masterful use of the Latin subordinate clause is ignored on the grounds it can’t be rendered into idiomatic English when this is exactly what Bushnel pulled off. RGDA is excellent, don’t recommend the AC translation. With that said, her introduction and commentary on the whole was very good and refreshing. Discussion on linguistic problems relating to the Galatian Greek translation was particularly interesting.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine schöne Ausgabe, die auch den Text der griechischen Monumente vollständig bietet. Der Stellenkommentar und die Belegstellen aus anderen Texten (v.a. Sueton und Cassius Dio, aber auch andere) sind sehr sorgfältig und erhellend. An manchen Stellen wirken die Erklärungen des Herausgebers sehr unkritisch und grenzen an Panegyrik.

[Amerah · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is essentially augustus telling people how big his cock was

[Hedvig Wilhelmina · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star because i like to take any available opportunity to bully Augustus

[Saimi Korhonen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Jumalaksi julistetun Augustuksen teot, joilla hän alisti koko maanpiirin Rooman kansan käskyvaltaan, ja rahalahjoitukset, jotka hän teki valtion ja Rooman kansan hyväksi, on kaiverrettu kahteen Roomaan pystytettyyn pronssipylvääseen. Tässä on kopio niistä."

Yksinvaltiaan elämä ja teot (alunperin Res Gestae Divi Augusti) on keisari Augustuksen laatima muistokirjoitus itsestään, joka hakattiin tauluihin hänen hautansa edustalle ja lähetettiin ympäri Rooman valtakuntaa hänen menehdyttyään.

Res Gestae Divi Augusti on propagandan mestarinäyte. Augustus kertoo elämästään, saavutuksistaan ja poliittisesta/sotilaallisesta urastaan mahtipontisesti, korostaen voittojaan, roomalaisia perushyveitään (rehtiys, rohkeus, isänmaallisuus, anteliaisuus jne.) ja sukunsa (erityisesti adoptio-isänsä, Julius Caesarin) jumalallisuutta. Onneksi painoksessa, jonka luin on Pekka Tuomiston kirjoittamat selvennyskappaleet jokaisen Augustuksen tekstin osan jälkeen, jossa avataan mitä Augustus tarkoittaa, keihin hän viittaa ja mitä hän on kenties jättänyt mainitsematta. Augustuksen tappiot ja vähemmän jalot teot ovat jääneet keisarin omista muistelmista ulos, minkä en usko hämmentävän ketään.

Tuomiston tekstit havainnollistivat myös Augustuksen tekojen ja saavutusten merkityksiä niin Roomalle kuin Rooman vihollisille, ja avasivat myös sitä, miten Augustus monta vuosikymmentä kestäneen hallituskautensa aikana loi pohjan keisariudelle - Tuomisto esimerkiksi painottaa sitä, kuinka tärkeää oli, että Augustus ei koskaan julistautunut keisariksi tai elinikäiseksi hallitsijaksi, vaan hänen valtansa perustui ns. tasavaltalaisiin rooleihin ja arvoihin. Tämä johti siihen, ettei häntä voitu syyttää helposti esimerkiksi vallankaappausyrityksestä. Tuomiston selventävien tekstien vuoksi koen oppineeni paljon Augustuksesta teoksen kautta.

Res Gestae Divi Augusti on yksi niistä teoksista, joita kuvailisin enemmän kiinnostavan kuin nautinnolliselta. Oli mielenkiintoista päästä lukemaan keisarin ajatuksia itsestään ja nähdä millaista kuvaa hän itsestään halusi luoda ja mitä hän halusi jättää kansalaistensa mieleen pitkästä hallituskaudestaan, mutta teos ei ole mikään uusi suosikkini. Ehdottomasti suosittelisin lukemaan tämän, jos Augustus kiinnostaa persoonana tai jos ylipäätänsä kiinnostaa roomalainen keisarihistoria. Teos antaa hyvän pohjan keisarivallan ymmärtämiselle!

[Gabriel Gioia Ávila Oliveira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Res Gestae, ou Os Feitos do Divino Augusto é uma breve enumeração feita pelo próprio imperador Augusto dos feitos que realizou durante seu reinado, que durou de 27 a.C. a 14 d.C. Essa lista de feitos, com 35 itens, foi escrita com objetivo de ser reproduzida nas colunas da entrada do mausoléu construído por Augusto, em que deveria ser colocado após sua morte. O mausoléu ainda existe, mas as inscrições na coluna não são mais visíveis. Ainda assim, o texto serve para mostrar, mesmo se os evento relatados forem exagerados ou falsos, como Augusto via a si mesmo, ou pelo menos como queria ser visto depois que morresse.

Como poderia se esperar, o texto é cheio de primeira pessoa, linguagem que enaltece as ações de Augusto, e poucas menções aos outros grandes causadores do sucesso que Augusto acabou aproveitando sozinho, como Marco Antônio e até Julio César, citado apenas indiretamente. Mas surpreende que tudo o que está escrito mostra um Augusto em serviço do senado e do povo, recusando premiações, cargos e principalmente o cargo oficial de ditador. Ele admite, no final do texto, que era o romano mais influente, mas insiste não ter tido mais poder que seu companheiros cônsules, se posiciona abaixo tanto do senado enquanto instituição quanto do próprio povo, cuja soberania e glória alega ter sido o alvo de todos os seus esforços.

Sabe-se, apesar disso, que Augusto quis sim o poder que recebeu e do qual usufruiu a partir da morte de Julio César, forçou as guerras que alega terem sido para a libertação do povo romano de "facções", e adorava a pompa e luxo com que gastou tanto dinheiro para preencher Roma. Mas, ao mesmo tempo talvez realmente tivesse um interesse altruísta para com o povo, e o resultado fica um misto de governante popular e populista, que fazia questão de ser visto sendo ambos.

[MarcMiccia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Res Gestae
Nel mio sesto e settimo consolato, dopo che ebbi estinto le guerre civili, assunto per universale consenso il controllo di tutti gli affari di stato, trasmisi il governo della Repubblica dal mio potere alla libera volontà del Senato e del Popolo Romano. Per questa mia benemerenza, con decreto del Senato ebbi l'appellativo di Augusto, la porta della mia casa. Pubblicamente ornata di alloro, e sull'entrata fu affissa una corona civica; nella Curia Giulia fu posto uno scudo d'oro con una iscrizione attestante che esso mi veniva offerto dal Senato e dal popolo romano in riconoscimento del mio valore, della mia clemenza, della mia giustizia e pietà.
Da allora in poi fui superiore a tutti in autorità, sebbene non rarissima del potere di tutti gli altri che furono miei colleghi in ciascuna magistratura.

[Mehmet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Res Gestae Divi Augusti, Augustus'un hükümdarlık dönemini eleştiriye yer bırakmayacak kadar olumlu bir şekilde sunan bir metin olduğunu ancak, bu belgenin Augustus'un gerçek yönetim tarzını ve dönemin siyasi gerçeklerini tam olarak yansıtmadığını Augustus'un hükümdarlığı boyunca gerçekleştirdiği başarıları ve yapıtları övmek amacıyla hazırlanmış ve Augustus'un imparatorluğu döneminde gerçekleşen olayları ve politikaları eleştiriye maruz kalmadan sunma çabası içerisinde yazılan propagandavari bir yapıt.

[شاهنشاه‎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a relatively short ennumeration of the deeds and accomplishments of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (Octavian), the founder of the Roman Empire.

Practically every review and comment here is "lol what a braggart." It is worth keeping in mind that, while in his writing it is clear that, yes, he thinks he is a a really big deal, he is also one of two people to have a literal month named after him.

He was kind of a big deal.

---

As the piece largely served as propaganda, the Latin is terse, simple, and very easy to read.

[Maria Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

pedaço sensacional de propaganda política antiga, os artigos SOBRE as res gestae são mais interessantes que as res gestae em si pelo contexto geral ser muito engrandecedor, mas também isso era meio... óbvio. e NOSSA como ODEIO esse otávio augusto cara chato do caralh
& quase que tive que ler isso aqui em espanhol (eu não falo espanhol) um BEIJO pra amiga da minha amiga que se apiedou de nossa situação e traduziu esse trambolho pra nós

[Kristian Eilertsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keiser Augustus' egen fortelling om hans egne bragder, er et mesterstykke av politisk propaganda og bevisst bruk av retoriske virkemidler; ingenting overlates til tilfeldighetene. Hilde Brendeford Andreassen gjør også en god jobb gjennom fotnotene å korrigere de faktiske feilene og overdrivelsene som ble gjort av Augustus for å fremstille seg selv i et annet og bedre lys.

[Dorothy Himberc · Rating 4 out of 5]

One star taken off because it still is more of a list, and therefore at times repetitive and tedious, than rewarding literature. But I found it surprisingly enjoyable, the prose of the English translation was excellent, and I admired the depth of the endnotes.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This edition is well-notated and super accessible. It made my Classics capstone homework painless and interesting. Side note, being a fairly stauch Anti-Augustan and Anti-Cesarian, being assigned this is a great way to make me heated under the collar.

[Enrico · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book of one of history's most important person. The seemingly contradiction between the books grandiose title and life of Augustus and the virtuous acts described in the book are fascinating.

[Mrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting and whatever, in the same way any kind of military/imperial propaganda is interesting, but soooo dry. thats.... kinda the point? because "oh look at how factual im being" but like... god the lists the numbers ughh

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Di certo non uno dei testi più emozionanti della storia della letteratura classica, ma è comunque significativo. E ha un latino abbastanza lineare e divertente da analizzare, che sta rendendo questo mio prossimo esame non un completo incubo.