Res Gestae Divi Augusti: The Achievements of the Divine Augustus

Brunt and Moore's translation and notes on "The Achievements of the Divine Augustus" - "The Res Gestae Divi Augusti" - is an absolute must for those studying this incredibly important era in history.The Res Gestae itself is what Augustus WISHED Romans and the rest of the world would believe him to have achieved. It is a large piece of epigraphical work which was put up in Rome and copied throughout the empire (the version that has survived in its fullest form is the one in Ankara in Turkey). He is often very succinct with these "achievements" and somewhat stretches the truth at times. But this ADDs to the interest in this pieec rather than detracts. Later Emperors were open to much ridicule and hatred AFTER their death (Claudius and Domitian imediately spring to mind) whereas here Augustus had carved out how wonderful he was all over the empire - as creator of the seat of powe - who was going to argue with him?This volume may be less than 100 pages but it is very important in order to get instide Augustus's mind and look at what he wanted people to believe - it does not always tally with reality but this just makes the whole thing more interesting. Brunt and Moore have done an excellent job in making it accessible to the masses - and for clearing up a few problem areas in their notes section along the way.ly

this was a blast from the past - I wrote my dissertation on Augustus and the Res Gestae and as luck would have it found a bust of Augustus in a charity shop - seemed th right thing to do to reunite him with his life's work - excellent read especially if you want to see how the master of false modest control ran things...

This is a little book where the commentary and the notes are far longer then the text. It is an appreciation by Augustus of his public life and as such is important to an understanding of such a pivotal figure. Though short, it is inevitably referred to by other writers like Cassius Dio and it is useful to be able to read the man's own words rather than just rely on somebody else's say-so. Not necessarily an entirely truthful account, but which politician's memoirs are?

Good, but the new edition by Alison Cooley (Res Gestae Divi Augusti: Text, Translation and Commentary) more or less replaces Brunt and Moore's edition. For a start Cooley has both the Latin and Greek texts (which vary somewhat in subtle and interesting ways), each with an English translation, where Brunt and Moore have only the Latin and translation. Cooley has an excellent account of the publication history, of the physical context of the various inscriptions (the lost original at Rome, and the extant copies at Ancyra, Antioch and Apollonia) and a short account of the inscription's later influence, both in Rome and Fascist Italy. Finally, Cooley's text takes John Scheid's important edition and French translation for Les Belles Lettres (2007) into account.

Reading this you can't help feeling Augustus was an excellent emperor and that you are very glad he was in charge and wouldn't it be really great to have him back again. Evidently politics, or even society, has changed far less in two thousand years than you might think.

I bought this for my college course. Great quality version! (Didn't mean I was clever enough to pass the course though, but I don't blame the book)

An essential companion for A level classics. The introduction is packed full of analysis and useful information. Having the latin with the translation helps to keep those skills fresh as well.

I love this book, used it quite a few times in my first year in university. I recommend getting this if you are studying ancient history!