The Gods of Olympus: A History by Barbara Graziosi

Author:Barbara Graziosi [Graziosi, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781847654281
Google: ZWNBAQAAQBAJ
Amazon: B00EX07YQG
Goodreads: 17910047
Publisher: Profile
Published: 2013-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

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Mutants

When Julius Caesar’s will was opened after his death in 44 BC, it was found to contain a few surprises. Most dramatically, it named Octavius, one of his adopted sons, as his principal heir. The choice would prove to be an inspired one, but at the time Octavius hardly seemed a natural successor to Caesar. To claim his inheritance, he would have to deal not only with the senators who had killed his adoptive father, but with Caesar’s own power-hungry allies, of whom Marc Antony was the most important. Octavius was only eighteen years old; he was away on campaign and probably did not even know the contents of Caesar’s will. When he found out about it, however, he acted swiftly. He insisted, first of all, on being called Julius Caesar like his father (though modern historians instead call him “Octavian” in this period of his life, to avoid confusion with the earlier Caesar). When he was refused a consulship, he crossed the Rubicon, as Caesar had famously done before him, and marched on Rome.

Having thus firmly established himself as following in Caesar’s footsteps, Octavian orchestrated the deification of his father. In 42 BC, a public decree officially granted Julius Caesar the status of a god. It seems that Marc Antony was not enthusiastic about that plan. As a god, Julius Caesar was bound to support his son and heir above all other men in Rome. Antony was right to be worried. Relying on the dead Caesar as his only unquestioning ally, Octavian quickly neutralized the Republicans and gained control of the army. Along the way, he wiped out much of the senatorial class, confiscated their property, and handed it over to the army. He quickly acquired a reputation for extreme violence. Rumors spread that Octavian was capable of plucking out people’s eyes with his bare hands.

Brutality, however, was not his main resource—for one thing, it was in plentiful supply among his enemies, too. What distinguished Octavian was his ability to adapt and transform his basis of power. Outwardly, he restored many republican institutions after Caesar’s dictatorship, but in practice he kept control of the empire firmly in his own hands. Such a maneuver required, of course, a very careful handling of the gods. Octavian made a show of returning to traditional Roman forms of piety, emphasizing the link between proper religious behavior and the safety of Rome. In religion as in politics, though, he kept personal control, rather than relying on the advice and insights of priests. The gods were united in their support of Rome, he insisted, and that actually meant that they were united in their support of Octavian himself.

It was not easy to make this sound convincing, because Octavian’s main rivals also had strong claims to divine support. Marc Antony cultivated a close relationship with Hercules—indeed, he even tried to suggest a family resemblance. Hercules was usually depicted wearing minimal clothing, the better to show off his muscles; he often had a heavy cloak or a lion skin on his shoulders and a large club or a sword in his hand.

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