Augustus relative Julius Caesar
Gaius Octavius ( ok-TAY-vee-əs, Latin: [ˈɡaːiʊs ɔkˈtaːwiʊs]). According to Suetonius, the cognomen Thurinus (Latin: [tʰuːˈriːnʊs]) was added to his birth name as a toddler in 60 BC. Later, after he had taken the name of Caesar, his rival Mark Antony referred to him as "Thurinus" in order to belittle him. In response, he merely said he was surprised that "using his old name was thought to be an insult".
Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. He took the name of his adoptive father, Julius Caesar, but was often distinguished from him as "Octavianus" (Latin: [ɔktaːwiˈaːnʊs]), the adjectival form of "Octavius". He is mainly known by the anglicization "Octavian" ( ok-TAY-vee-ən) for the period between 44 and 27 BC.
Imperator Caesar. Octavian's early coins and inscriptions all refer to him simply as Gaius Caesar, but by 38 BC he had replaced "Gaius" with the victory title imperator ("commander"). Occasionally the epithet divi filius or divi Iuli(i) filius ("son of the divine Julius") was included, alluding to Julius Caesar's deification in 42 BC.
Imperator Caesar Augustus. On 16 January 27 BC, partly on his own insistence, the Roman Senate granted him the surname Augustus (Latin: [au̯ˈɡʊstʊs]). Historians use this name to refer to him from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.Early life
While his paternal family was from the Volscian town of Velletri, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-east of Rome, Augustus was born in Rome on 23 September 63 BC. He was born at Ox Head, a small property on the Palatine Hill, very close to the Roman Forum. He was given the name Gaius Octavius, and in his childhood he received the cognomen Thurinus, possibly commemorating his father's victory at Thurii over a rebellious band of slaves which occurred a few years after his birth. Suetonius wrote: "There are many indications that the Octavian family was in days of old a distinguished one at Velitrae; for not only was a street in the most frequented part of town long ago called Octavian, but an altar was shown there besides, consecrated by an Octavius. This man was leader in a war with a neighbouring town ..."Due to the crowded nature of Rome at the time, Octavius was taken to his father's home village at Velletri to be raised. Octavius mentions his father's equestrian family only briefly in his memoirs. His paternal great-grandfather Gaius Octavius was a military tribune in Sicily during the Second Punic War. His grandfather had served in several local political offices. His father, also named Gaius Octavius, had been governor of Macedonia. His mother, Atia, was the niece of Julius Caesar.His father died in 59 BC when he was four years old. His mother married a former governor of Syria, Lucius Marcius Philippus. Philippus claimed descent from Alexander the Great and was elected consul in 56 BC. Philippus never had much of an interest in young Octavius. Because of this, Octavius was raised by his grandmother, Julia, the sister of Julius Caesar. Julia died in 52 or 51 BC, and Octavius delivered the funeral oration for his grandmother. From this point, his mother and stepfather took a more active role in raising him. He donned the toga virilis ("toga of manhood") four years later and was elected to the College of Pontiffs in 47 BC. The following year he was put in charge of the Greek games that were staged in honor of the Temple of Venus Genetrix, built by Julius Caesar.According to Nicolaus of Damascus, Octavius wished to join Caesar's staff for his campaign in Africa but gave way when his mother protested. In 46 BC, she consented for him to join Caesar in Hispania, where he planned to fight the forces of Pompey, Caesar's late enemy, but Octavius fell ill and was unable to travel. When he had recovered, he sailed to the front but was shipwrecked. After coming ashore with a handful of companions, he crossed hostile territory to Caesar's camp, which impressed his great-uncle considerably. Velleius Paterculus reports that after that time, Caesar allowed the young man to share his carriage. When back in Rome, Caesar deposited a new will with the Vestal Virgins, naming Octavius as the prime beneficiary.
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