Augustus was the first Roman emperor and led the transformation from republic to empire after his great-uncle and adoptive father Julius Caesar was murdered. He was born in 63 BC with the name ...

Augustus was Julius Caesar's great-nephew ... Known at that point as Octavian, he quickly outshone all his peers in the scramble for absolute power. The pivotal moment in his rise was the defeat ...

Octavian also said he was unfit to hold office because he was always drunk. Image caption, A statue of Augustus Caesar. Octavian rebranded himself as Augustus when he became the first Emperor of Rome.

And it has been lying under a blanket of Vesuvian ash. Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, also known as Octavian, reigned as Ancient Rome’s first emperor from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.

However, his career began long before securing this unprecedented role in 27 B.C.E. In 44 BCE, Augustus was still known as Octavian. He was Julius Caesar's 19-year-old grand nephew, adopted son ...

Octavian's victory in the 31 ... generals Marius and Sulla wrestled for control; Julius Caesar squared off against his rival Pompey. And, of course, Augustus himself seized power through violence ...