A wide range of views exist concerning the emperor Augustus.
He gave up the title of Triumvir, emphasizing instead his position as consul; and the powers of a tribune he proclaimed, were good enough for him – powers for the protection of ordinary people. He seduced the army with bonuses, and his cheap food policy was successful bait for civilians. Indeed, he attracted everybody’s goodwill by the enjoyable gift of peace.
Tacitus, Annals, 1, p. 32
After this time, I excelled all in authority, although I possessed no more official power than others who were my colleagues with me in the several magistracies.
Augustus: Res Gestae Divi Augusti
Brunt & Moore, p. 37
…. and it was from this time that a monarchy, strictly speaking, was established.
Dio Cassius, 53.17, p. 140
Whereas the divine providence that guides our life has displayed its zeal and benevolence by ordaining for our life the most perfect good, bringing to us Augustus, whom it has filled with virtue for the benefit of mankind, employing him as a saviour for us and our descendents, him who has put an end to wars and ordained peace.
Inscription from Asia Minor c. 9BC,
Cited in Bradley, P., Ancient Rome: Using Evidence, p. 456.
He rose to power by criminal methods at the head of an organisation which sometimes acted as if it were a state within a state. People who crossed him died.
Holland, R., 2004, Augustus: godfather of Europe, p. 332
That the power of Caesar Augustus was absolute, no contemporary could doubt. But his rule was justified by merit, founded upon consent and tempered by duty. Augustus stood like a soldier, ‘in statione’ – for the metaphor … is Roman and military. He would not desert his post until a higher command relieved him, his duty done and a successor left on guard.
Syme, R., The Roman Revolution, p. 520
Overall Augustus has been described as both a hero and a villain, depending on how authors have interpreted and judged his acquisition and use of power in Rome.
Your task is to research Augustus with a view to deciding which of these categories best describes him. Should he be seen as a hero or a villain? Your findings need to be presented in the form of a multi-modal presentation. This means that your assignment cannot take the form of a written research assignment. How you present your findings needs to be decided upon early, in consultation with your teacher, but it is your assignment and you need to think about this.
There are many ways you might choose to present your findings. The following are some possible ways you might complete the assignment.
• As a senator arguing a case for or against the deification of Augustus. You could present the case as an oral / video / CD with accompanying script.
• As an heir of Augustus, you might present a eulogy of Augustus in the form of an oral/video/CD with accompanying script.
• As a play/dialogue between two Romans discussing the reign of Augustus or as a court case examining his reign. There is also the possibility of a debate presentation here.
• A range of interviews from across the Roman populace or an interview with a specific historical individual who best expresses your view on Augustus.
• A computer simulation or website that is interpretive and interactive.
There is no set format and these suggestions are only possibilities. How you present your assignment is up to you, but you must negotiate with your teacher to ensure that your perspective and approach is appropriate.
It is obviously important that at all stages of your assignment you keep a record of your research. Assignment parts A-C should assist you in this but you must have more research notes and all of this evidence needs to be submitted with your final presentation.
Parts to be submitted
Due date
Part A: Initial hypothesis and sub-questions
14/07/2016
Part B: Sources and note-taking
28/07/2016
Part C: Assignment draft
11/08/2016
Part D: final Assignment +
Resubmission of Parts A-C +
All notes, photocopies and printouts used in preparing the assignment
25/08/2016
Checklist for final submission
Your final submission must include:
◻ The task and criteria sheet.
◻ Your finished presentation in whatever format/genre you have chosen to present it. This should be accompanied by a suitable script.
◻ A rationale of (minimum 250 words) explaining why you chose the format / genre you did and the reasoning behind your decisions about Augustus.
◻ Your script and rationale should be typed in 12 point with double-spacing between the lines.
◻ In-text references to material that you have used in developing your ideas in the following format: author, date, page. Any graphic material used to illustrate aspects of your presentation must also be properly referenced.
◻ A properly set out bibliography,
◻ All previously submitted parts of the research task including monitoring tasks complete with teacher comments.
◻ The draft of your submission showing how you have responded to teacher comments,
◻ Your research booklet showing evidence of note-taking and research beyond the summaries provided in Parts A and B (NOTE: Highlighting does not constitute note-taking.).
◻ Printed out stages of development of your presentation if you are using word-processing,
◻ Your reflections on the completed task.
It is vital that you complete all steps of the research process and that you submit them to your teacher for comment.
Standard A
Standard B
Standard C
Standard D
Standard E
1. Planning and using an historical research process
The student:
* identifies conceptually complex issues for investigation, devises and focuses historical research questions and appropriate sub-questions
* demonstrates initiative by locating and organizing primary and secondary sources that offer a range of perspectives
* creates and maintains detailed, systematic, coherent records of research that demonstrate the interrelationships of the aspects of the inquiry
– demonstrates critical reflection during research to make valid choices about direction or emphasis
The student:
* identifies significant issues for investigation and devises historical research questions and appropriate sub-questions
* demonstrates initiative by locating and organizing primary and secondary sources that are relevant and offer different perspectives
* creates and maintains systematic, coherent records of research that demonstrate effective applications of the aspects of inquiry
– demonstrates reflection during research and revises the process where necessary
The student:
* devises or applies straightforward historical research questions and sub-questions that involve simple issues and familiar concepts
* locates and organizes some relevant sources
* maintains a record of research that demonstrates a basic understanding of the aspects of inquiry
– responds to obvious issues that emerge in the research process
The student:
* uses closed, factually based historical research questions
* locates some relevant sources
* presents a record of research that demonstrates some of the aspects of inquiry
The student:
* usually relies upon others to frame questions
* locates some information in sources provided
* provides fragmented and often irrelevant evidence of research, if any
2. Forming historical knowledge through critical inquiry
In response to historical questions, the student
* uses a diversity of primary and secondary sources to:
– comprehend and apply explicit and implicit meanings
– analyse to identify implicit and explicit patterns of information and categorise evidence
– perceptively interpret values and motives and identify perspectives, while acknowledging the time period and context of the production of a source
-corroborate primary and secondary sources
* evaluates the relevance, representativeness, likely accuracy and likely reliability of sources
* synthesizes evidence from primary and secondary sources to justify insightful decisions.
In response to historical questions, the student:
* uses primary and secondary sources to:
– comprehend explicit and implicit meanings
– analyse to identify explicit patterns and allocate information to categories
– interpret values and motives and identify perspectives
* evaluates the relevance, likely accuracy and likely reliability of sources
* synthesizes evidence from primary and secondary sources to make reasoned decisions
In response to historical questions, the student:
* generally uses primary and secondary sources to:
– comprehend explicit meanings
– identify simple and familiar concepts, values and motives that are explicit
– analyse to identify obvious themes or patterns
– recognize relevant sources
– detect bias in sources
* refers to mainly secondary sources to make obvious decisions
In response to historical questions, the student:
* generally, when dealing with historical sources
– identifies basic explicit facts
– comprehends some of the explicit meaning
– groups information according to identified classifications
* where decisions are made, supports them mainly with opinions.
In response to historical questions, the student:
* includes some information relevant to a factual inquiry
* comprehends some factual detail in a basic historical source
* recognizes information with some common characteristics in a basic historical source.
3. Communicating historical knowledge
In a multi-modal presentation, the student:
* consistently communicates accurately recalled or selected definitions, key historical concepts, terms, events, developments and people, and the relationships amongst them
* presents coherent, valid historical arguments that:
– incorporate concepts of change and continuity over time
– use extensive vocabulary in a succinct and effective manner
– accord closely with the style and conventions applicable to the format of the task
– refer to evaluation processes without disrupting the argument
– incorporate direct and indirect references to diverse relevant historical evidence
– accurately use the conventions of a recognized system of referencing
* meets stipulated or negotiated requirements of task for length, format and scope of responses
In a multi-modal presentation, the student:
