Further Thoughts on the Death of Augustus
Other
2008
Permanent link to this Item
Authors
Journal Title
Acta Classica
Link to Journal
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Publisher
University of Cape Town
Department
Faculty
License
Series
Abstract
In this note I attempt to supplement my recent discussion of the treatment by Suetonius of the death of the emperor Augustus in which I argued that the biographer carefully constructed an account of a perfect imperial death. I shall first consider an aspect that escaped my first treatment and then consider the contribution made in another recent study of death to which I did not have access in 2006, both of which relate to the presentation of the repentina mors in Latin sources. Lastly, I shall return to the notion of theatricality and acting that has played a central role in most interpretations of Augustus's last words to his friends to reassert the point that in the interpretation of Augustus's actions that Suetonius follows, based on Stoic ideas, there is no room for the notion of insincerity.
Description
Reference:
Wardle, D. (2008). Further thoughts on the death of Augustus: notes. In Acta Classica: Proceedings of the Classical Association of South Africa (Vol. 51, pp. 187-191). Sabinet Online.