Life of Augustus

De: Nicolaus of Damascus

Narrado por: Charlton Griffin

Nicolaus of Damascus was a Hellenized Jewish scholar who lived contemporaneously with Octavius and lived to see him become Caesar Augustus. The work itself takes us through young Octavius’ life and shows how he was carefully brought up and eventually adopted by his uncle, Julius Caesar. But what is remarkable about this short biography is the care and detail with which Nicolaus goes about in describing the plot and assassination of Caesar. The aftermath of Caesar’s murder is explained quite clearly as Octavian steps up to claim his uncle’s inheritance.

Apparently, the complete biography is missing, as it ends just before the final break with Mark Antony. What remains, though, is a masterpiece of ancient biography by a man who was an eye-witness to the events.

Public Domain (P)2022 Audio Connoisseur

Good but is lacking in content.

I was somewhat hoping that the fragment of Nicolaus of Damascus’s other works would be included in this audiobook due to the brevity of The Life of Augustus as a literary piece. Audio Connoisseur provides quality listening in all other ways. Perhaps Ammianus Marcellinus or the Historia Augusta would have been a meatier topic for them to tackle as without Nicolaus’s fragments this feels a bit too short.