"Discuss the autobiography of Augustus."
This week, one topic that I was asked to cover was this, "Discuss the autobiography of Augustus." I guess that I'll jump right in!
This autobiography is filled with the great acts that Augustus committed. Waging war, raising up an army, and building a temple were all things that he described himself doing. He also described himself becoming consul numerous times.
Although he was definitely a very important man, he seems a little self-righteous in his autobiography in my opinion. I for one wouldn't talk about myself in such a god-like manner if I were to write my autobiography. Then again, he wasn't me. It was also a different time and place. I mean, this is ancient Rome that we're talking about, and he certainly was no ordinary Roman citizen! He was Augustus! The man that rebuilt the Capital and theater in Pompey, formed colonies in Africa, Spain, Macedonia, and several other places, and he put out a civil-war! Don't forget that these are not the only accomplishments that he attained. He had several others, far more than most people will ever accomplish in their lifetimes.
If you would like to read his autobiography yourself, this link will take you to it. http://classics.mit.edu/Augustus/deeds.html
I highly encourage you to read it! Who knows, it might spark the historian in you!
"Use your reading and the video lesson to summarize important events in the life of Julius Caesar."
Welcome friend to the amazing land of history! You are about to embark on a journey that will last a lifetime and change your view on the world! Please take a step forward onto the history express and choose the train car that says "ANCIENT ROME". Enjoy your trip!
A short man with a bald head comes up to you. "May I take your ticket?" You check your pockets for a ticket but can't seem to find one. "I'm sorry, I don't think I have one. In fact, I don't even remember seeing a place to buy one." The man replies with, "That comes as no surprise to me. I take it that this is your first time on the train?" "Yes, you are correct." After you have said this, the man starts to chuckle. "My dear friend, you don't buy your ticket. You have your ticket with you every day." You look at the man with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?" "I mean that your ticket is anything that inspires you. It could be a painting, a movie, or even something that a child says. Anything and everything you do comes from the magic of inspiration. Now, what was your inspiration to board the train?" You think for a moment. "As I was walking home from work I saw a picture of Rome on the window of a travel agency. After that, this train just appeared." The short man pulls a piece of luggage out from under one of the seats and stands on it. He pulls out a small pad of paper and a gold pen from a compartment in the roof of the train. He then hands the objects to you. "Write down what your inspiration was on a piece of paper from this notebook." You write down the word "PICTURE", and hand it to the man. He punches a hole in the top-right corner of the paper, and hands it back to you. He looks at you with a twinkle in his eye and says this, "Don't lose it. Inspiration is the worst thing that a person can lose." You reply in a soft voice while looking at your ticket, "I won't." Once you look up again, the man is gone, leaving only you and the other passengers.
Out of the blue, the train whistle blows and you can feel the train cars moving. You look out of your window in sheer wonder. Right before your eyes the landscape is changing, towns and cities are appearing and disappearing in seconds. At one moment, you actually thought that you saw Abraham Lincoln walking down the street. You whisper to yourself, "This is impossible." The train continues in this manner for a couple of hours, and just as the train started, it stopped just as quickly.
You look out of your window and see a large city in the distance. Someone says, "It's beautiful isn't it?" Surprised, you look towards the person speaking to you. It turns out to be the short man that disappeared earlier. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to frighten you. I just came to give you some appropriate clothes. What you're wearing right now simply won't be accepted in Rome." You look at your jeans and t-shirt. "I suppose that you're right. Wait a second! Did you just say Rome?" The man grins. "Yes, that's what I said. There is a changing room at the end of this car." You turn your head to look at where the man is talking about. "I see it, thank you." You get up and walk to the changing room. You put on the clothes that the short man gave you, and put your old clothes in a basket in the corner of the room. You walk out of the changing room and go to the door that says "EXIT". A young lad opens the door for you. "Thanks." The child answers with, "No problem!" After you have stepped outside, the kid runs over to who you believe is his sister. In a flash, the train is gone.
You see a mule standing by a rock that is wearing it's riding equipment. There is a woman standing next to it. She calls your name. You ask her, "Me?" she replies with, "Yes you, I wouldn't call out your name if I wasn't talking to you." You look at her and say, "I suppose not, but why are you calling my name?" She looks at you with an annoyed expression. "To tell you to come get your mule. I need him back before you leave to go back home." Confused, you get onto the mule and decide to ride towards the city. Once you enter, you see a large crowd standing around a man. You dismount, and walk over to it. You ask the person standing next to you who the man in the middle of the crowd is. The person replies with, "Who is he? What do you mean who is he? That man is none other than Julius Caesar, the greatest military commander in all of Rome!" You think about it for a second as you remember back to high-school when you learned about Julius Caesar. You can't believe your eyes! You are looking at Julius Caesar in the flesh! A man who was previously no more than name to you, is now standing only a few feet away! You listen to him speak, and come to the conclusion that he is giving a speech for one of his military campaigns.
After he is done speaking, you decide to look around one of the market places. As you ride your mule, a snake slithers across the rode and startles the animal. The mule bucks you off and runs off down the street leaving you unconscious on the ground.
When you awake, you are lying in a tent and a man is wiping the wound on your head with a cool cloth. "Who are you?" The man shakes his head. "You must have a pretty good concussion not to know the answer to that question. I'm Julius, Julius Caesar." You start to feel dizzy again. "Now don't you pass out again! It took two hours for you to wake up this last time. Who knows how long it will take if it happens again." You gain the courage to speak to this amazing man and reply with, "Sorry, I was just surprised is all." Julius smiles and says, "I bet you were! Although I'm not generally into the spirit of helping complete strangers, I am not completely lacking in compassion."
This one day leads to a friendship that lasts for about four months. Through this friendship, you learn many things about each-other. He told you about his father that had ruled the province of Asia, and how his father had died very suddenly when Julius he was only sixteen. He also told you about how his family was said to be descended from the legendary prince, lulus. The prince was said to be the son of Aeneas, the son of the goddess Venus.
Although these stories where very fascinating to you, your interest lied mainly in his most well known stories. The ones taught in your own time. He told you how he had conquered Gaul, and how he had held offices as dictatorship, the tribunate, and how he had gone between the consulship and the Proconsulship. He told you about how he had been allied with the two men, Crassus and Pompey. He told you how he was appointed dictator for life, and how his daughter had been married to his ally, Pompey. He told you about how he had cried when Pompey had died. He even told you about his affair with Cleopatra!
The story that intrigued you the most however, was the story of how he became the leader of Rome. It happened when the Senate told Caesar to give up his military command and come back to Rome. Caesar made his refusal known by crossing the Rubicon with a legion, exiting his province, and illegally entering the territory of Rome fully armed. This act of defiance let to a Civil war where he came out as the head of Rome.
You stayed in Rome right up until your good friend, Julius Caesar, was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. You, after his death, were in despair. You thought of how the members of the Senate, calling themselves Liberators had planned out the gruesome act that had brought upon your friend's death.
At this point, you couldn't help but feel a longing for home. Just as the train had appeared four months ago, it appeared again. You walked through the train's doors and never looked back.
Once again, the short bald man came and asked for your ticket. You wrote down the word "GRIEF" on a piece of paper and handed it to the man. He seemed to understand and left you alone. Soon, you were home. You put on your old clothes, stepped off of the train, and went back home. And then, you woke up. You look at your open window with the sun shining through it. You now know that what you experienced was only a dream. An amazing dream that would stick with you for the rest of your life.
Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think!
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