Augustus was the ultimate victor in the Roman civil wars, gaining control of Rome and establishing imperial rule. He claimed divine ancestry through his great-uncle and adopted father Julius Caesar and was deified after his death in 14 CE. The similarities cultivated between his life story and those of the heroes of myth were striking and deliberate, marking Augustus as a hero of and for his times.
After the battle of Actium in 31 BCE in which he defeated the combined forces of Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus became the most powerful politician in Rome. The first in a long line of Roman emperors, he never claimed that title for himself, preferring instead princeps (first man), referring to the leading senator of the day. In 27 BCE, the Senate conferred on Octavianus the honorific title of Augustus.
Augustus clearly understood the power of images to legitimise his claims and reshape Roman society. Using the enormous wealth gained through his conquest, he embarked on a programme encouraging art, architecture and literature, which supported his ideals and promoted allegiance to the emperor and empire. Much of the imagery that resulted drew clear connections between Augustus and revered mythological heroes and gods.
