Augustus and the Res Gestae: The Emperor's Own Triumphal Inscription

In episode 163 of our Augustus series, Lucas and Luna explore the Res Gestae Divi Augusti — the long inscription that the first emperor wrote himself, recording his achievements for posterity. Carved on bronze pillars outside his mausoleum, the Res Gestae is a unique autobiographical document: part political testament, part propaganda, part census of glory. Lucas walks Luna through the six main sections: Augustus's military victories and annexations, his building projects and civic gifts, his religious restorations and moral legislation, his gladiatorial shows and public spectacles, his foreign policy with Parthia and client kingdoms, and his final account of state expenditures. They discuss what the text leaves out — the defeats, the purges, the dynastic scheming — and what it means as a historical source. Luna wonders about its audience and survival, and they trace how copies of the Res Gestae were set up across the empire, with the best-preserved version found at Ankara in modern Turkey. Along the way, they touch on Augustus's recurring motifs — pietas, clementia, libertas — and the delicate balance between personal achievement and republican tradition. This episode turns the Augustan lens back on itself: a ruler who wanted the final word on his own life. #ResGestae #Augustus #RomanHistory #AugustanPropaganda #PaxRomana #MonumentumAncyranum #FirstEmperor #ImperialRome #AncientAutobiography #Princeps #Clementia #Pietas #RomanInscriptions #HistoricalSources #AugustanAchievement #RomanEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo