Who was Augustus?
English: Bust of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Octavius, first Roman Emperor. 27 BC - 14 AD, Marble. cm 42 From Rome, Via Merulana Capitoline Museum, Rome. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) On the outskirts of ancient Rome stands what remains of the villa owned by Livia Drusilla , wife to Caesar Augustus , Rome's first and greatest Emperor . Though the villa was discovered and explored as far back as the 16th century, serious excavations did not begin until the 1860's. In 1863 these excavations uncovered a remarkable work of art, the statue that would come to be known as Augustus of Prima Porta . Livia kept this marble statue of her husband, itself a copy of a bronze commissioned in 20 B.C. to celebrate Augustus' great triumph over the Parthians. This statue is the first of the twenty-five objects through which we will explore the history of Christianity. Born Gaius Octavius, Augustus was the great-nephew and eventual heir of Julius Caesar . Following his uncle’s murder, Aug