His reign marked the beginning of one of history’s greatest empires and the end of one of its first republics. Was Rome’s first emperor a visionary leader who guaranteed his civilization’s place in history or a tyrant who destroyed its core values? Find out in History versus Augustus.
Njegova vladavina označava početak jednog od najvećih carstava u istoriji i kraj jedne od prvih republika. Da li je prvi rimski car bio vođa i vizionar koji je zagarantovao svojoj civilizaciji mesto u istoriji ili tiranin koji je uništio njene ključne vrednosti? Saznajte u: „Istoriji protiv Avgusta”.
Order, order. The defendant today is Gaius Octavius?
Mir, mir. Današnji optuženi je Gaj Oktavijan?
Gaius Julius Caesar/Augustus...
Gaj Julije Cezar/Avgust...
Do we have the wrong guy?
Imamo li pogrešnog čoveka?
No, your Honor. Gaius Octavius, born in 63 BCE, was the grand-nephew of Julius Caesar. He became Gaius Julius Caesar upon being named his great-uncle’s adoptive son and heir. And he gained the title Augustus in 27 BCE when the Senate granted him additional honors.
Ne, časni sude. Gaj Oktavijan, rođen 63. godine p. n. e, bio je pranećak Julija Cezara. Postao je Gaj Julije Cezar naimenovan praujakovim usvojenim sinom i naslednikom. A titulu Avgusta je stekao 27. godine p. n. e, kada mu je senat dodelio dodatne počasti.
You mean when he established sole authority and became emperor of Rome.
Misliš kad je sebe proglasio jedinim vladarom i postao rimski car.
Is that bad? Didn’t every place have some king or emperor back then?
Da li je to loše? Zar nije svako mesto nekada imalo nekakvog kralja ili cara?
Actually, your Honor, the Roman people had overthrown their kings centuries before to establish a republic, a government meant to serve the people, not the privilege of a ruling family. And it was Octavius who destroyed this tradition.
Zapravo, časni sude, rimski narod je zbacio svoje kraljeve vekovima ranije kako bi uspostavio republiku, vladu koja je trebalo da služi narodu, a ne privilegijama vladajuće porodice. A Oktavijan je uništio ovu tradiciju.
Octavius was a model public servant. At 16, he was elected to the College of Pontiffs that supervised religious worship. He fought for Rome in Hispania alongside his great-uncle Caesar and took up the responsibility of avenging Caesar’s death when the corrupt oligarchs in the Senate betrayed and murdered him.
Oktavijan je bio uzoran javni službenik. Sa 16 godina je izabran u Kolegijum pontifika koji je nadgledao religijske obrede. Borio se za Rim u Hispaniji uz svog praujaka Cezara i preuzeo je na sebe odgovornost za odmazdu zbog Cezarove smrti kada su ga korumpirani oligarsi iz senata izdali i ubili.
Caesar had been a power-hungry tyrant who tried to make himself a king while consorting with his Egyptian queen Cleopatra. After his death, Octavius joined his general Mark Antony in starting a civil war that tore Rome apart, then stabbed his ally in the back to increase his own power.
Cezar je bio tiranin žedan moći koji je pokušao da sebe proglasi kraljem udružujući se sa egipatskom kraljicom Kleopatrom. Nakon njegove smrti, Oktavijan se pridružio svom generalu Marku Antoniju, otpočinjući time građanski rat koji je razorio Rim, a potom je zabio nož u leđa svom savezniku da bi uvećao sopstvenu moć.
Antony was a fool. He waged a disastrous campaign in Parthia and plotted to turn Roman territories into personal kingdoms for himself and Cleopatra.
Antonije je bio budala. Vodio je katastrofalnu kampanju u Partiji i kovao je zaveru da rimske teritorije pretvori u lična kraljevstva za njega i Kleopatru.
Isn’t that what Caesar had been accused of?
Zar nije Cezar bio optužen za to?
Well...
Pa...
So Octavius destroyed Antony for trying to become a king and then became one himself?
Oktavijan je uništio Antonija jer je pokušavao da bude kralj, a onda je i sam postao kralj?
That’s right. You can see the megalomania even in his adopted title – "The Illustrious One."
Tako je. Možete da vidite megalomaniju
That was a religious honorific. And Augustus didn’t seek power for his own sake. As winner of the civil war and commander of the most troops, it was his duty to restore law and order to Rome so that other factions didn’t continue fighting.
čak i u tituli koju je prisvojio - „uzvišeni”. To je bila religijska počast. I Avgust nije jurio moć zarad sebe. Kao pobednik u građanskom ratu i zapovednik većine četa, njegova dužnost je bila da uspostavi zakon i red u Rimu
He didn’t restore the law - he made it subordinate to him!
kako druge frakcije ne bi nastavile da ratuju.
Not true. Augustus worked to restore the Senate’s prestige, improved food security for the lower classes, and relinquished control of the army when he resigned his consul post.
Nije uspostavio zakon - učinio ga je podređenim sebi! Nije tačno. Avgust je radio na tome da senatu vrati prestiž, unapredio je bezbednost hrane za niže klase
Mere optics. He used his military influence and personal wealth to stack the Senate in his favor, while retaining the powers of a tribune and the right to celebrate military triumphs. He kept control of provinces with the most legions. And if that wasn’t enough, he assumed the consul position twice more to promote his grandchildren. He was clearly trying to establish a dynasty.
i odrekao se kontrole nad vojskom kada se povukao sa mesta konzula. Puki privid. Koristio je vojni uticaj i lično bogatstvo da pridobije naklonost senata, istovremeno zadržavajući moć tribuna i pravo na proslavu vojnih uspeha. Zadržao je kontrolu nad pokrajinama sa najvećim brojem legija. A kao da to nije dovoljno, preuzeo je poziciju konzula još dvaput kako bi unapredio svoje unuke. Očito je pokušavao da uspostavi dinastiju.
But what did he do with all that power?
Međutim, šta je uradio sa svom tom moći?
Glad you asked, your Honor. Augustus’s accomplishments were almost too many to name. He established consistent taxation for all provinces, ending private exploitation by local tax officials. He personally financed a network of roads and employed couriers so news and troops could travel easily throughout the realm. And it was under Augustus that many of Rome’s famous public buildings were constructed. The writers of the time were nearly unanimous in praising his rule.
Drago mi je što ste pitali, časni sude. Avgustova dostignuća su gotovo prekobrojna da bismo ih nabrajali. Uspostavio je dosledno oporezivanje širom pokrajina, okončavši privatnu eksploataciju lokalnih poreskih zvaničnika. Lično je finansirao mrežu puteva i zapošljavao je kurire kako bi vesti i čete mogle da putuju lako širom carstva. I pod Avgustom je izgrađen najveći broj čuvenih rimskih javnih građevina. Pisci tog vremena su skoro jednoglasno hvalili njegov vladavinu.
Did the writers have any other choice? Augustus exiled plenty of people on vague charges, including Ovid, one of Rome’s greatest poets. And you forgot to mention the intrusive laws regarding citizens’ personal lives – punishing adultery, restricting marriage between social classes, even penalties for remaining unmarried.
Da li su pisci imali drugog izbora? Avgust je prognao dovoljan broj ljudi na osnovu nejasnih optužbi, uključujući Ovidija, jednog od najvećih rimskih pesnika. A zaboravljaš da spomeneš nametljive zakone u vezi sa ličnim životima građana - kažnjavanje preljube, ograničavanje braka između društvenih klasa, čak i kazne za usedelice.
He was trying to improve the citizenry and instill discipline. And he succeeded. His legacy speaks for itself: 40 years of internal stability, a professional army that expanded Rome’s frontiers in all directions, and a government still remembered as a model of civic virtue.
Pokušavao je da unapredi građanski duh i da usadi disciplinu. I uspeo je. Njegova ostavština govori za sebe: 40 godina unutrašnje stabilnosti, profesionalna vojska koja je proširila granice Rima u svim pravcima i vladu koju i dan-danas pamtimo kao uzor građanske vrline.
His legacy was an empire that would go on to wage endless conquest until it collapsed, and a tradition of military autocracy. Any time a dictator in a general’s uniform commits atrocities while claiming to act on behalf of "the people," we have Augustus Caesar to thank.
Njegova ostavština je bilo carstvo koje će da predvodi beskrajne osvajačke pohode sve do njegovog pada, kao i tradicija vojne autokratije. Svaki put kada diktator u uniformi generala počini zverstva tvrdeći da je u službi „naroda”, imamo da zahvalimo Avgustu Cezaru.
So you’re saying Augustus was a good emperor, and you’re saying there’s no such thing?
Dakle, kažeš da je Avgust bio dobar car, a ti kažeš da takvo šta ne postoji?
We’re used to celebrating historical leaders for their achievements and victories. But to ask whether an individual should have such power in the first place is to put history itself on trial.
Navikli smo da slavimo istorijske vođe zbog njihovih dostignuća i pobeda. Međutim, zapitati se da li bi pojedinac trebalo da ima toliku moć na prvom mestu znači staviti samu istoriju na suđenje.