Founding an Empire: Lessons from Augustus with Dr Barry Strauss

In this lecture, historian Dr Barry Strauss examines Augustus as the architect of Rome's imperial settlement, tracing how a young heir of extraordinary ambition transformed a republic struggling with civil war into an enduring political order. Tracing events from the turmoil following Julius Caesar's assassination to the victory at Actium, the creation of the Pax Romana, and Augustus's claim to rule as Rome's "first citizen," Strauss highlights how Augustus secured power by building trust, managing rivals, and reshaping public life through law, ritual, architecture, and art. The talk concludes by asking what is preserved and what is lost when a society exchanges republican freedom for imperial stability, and what the study of ancient leadership can still teach us about prudence, courage, and political responsibility today.

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Authors and Works Mentioned in this Episode:

• Winston Churchill

• William Shakespeare

• Herod the Great

• Homer

• Virgil's Aeneid

• Cicero

• Mark Antony

• Julius Caesar

• Cleopatra