The start of imperial Rome is officially dated to 27 BCE, when Gaius Octavius Caesar was awarded the name Augustus, signaling ...

His father died when Augustus was four. His prospects were bleak: Rome was dangerous, engulfed by civil war between power-hungry factions. One of these was led by his great-uncle, Julius Caesar.

A superb general and politician, Julius Caesar (c ... Without a son of his own, he needed an heir. Caesar quickly adopted his great nephew, Augustus. He also moved fast to strengthen the northern ...