Who was the Greatest Leader? Augustus or Caesar?

Augustus

         I believe that Augustus was the more important Roman leader than Caesar.  Augustus became leader of Rome at the age of 32.  Unlike Caesar, Augustus did not become a dictator.  He knew that the people of Rome would be unhappy under the rule of a dictator, but he was also aware of the fact that the past Roman Republic had not been strong enough to deal with all of Rome's problems.  Therefore, he returned the city to a Republic, but appointed himself as the "Imperator" or "Commander in Chief" of Rome.  Later, he was known as "Emperor".  Augustus brought the start of the Pax Romana or "Roman Peace".  This was an era lasting approximately 200 years full of peace and prosperity.  During his reign, Augustus added many new and important things to the Roman culture.  One of his main goals was to make Rome strong and safe.  In order to do this, he hired a professional army of 150,000 men.  These were well-trained and well-paid soldiers - unlike before, when the army consisted of men forced to go into battle by their government.  Augustus also had the Praetorian Guard made, which was meant to protect the emperor (himself).  With his new army, the first Roman emperor conquered many new territories, including Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and the rest of Greece and Gaul.  Apart from military conquests, Augustus also improved the Roman government.  In order to make it easier to keep Rome under control, he appointed governors for each province and replaced officials chosen by the senate.  He later reformed the tax and legal systems.  Before Augustus, tax collectors were paid by the government and allowed to keep some of the money they received from the people.  However, some of these tax collectors were corrupt and kept more money than they were supposed to.  To solve this, the emperor made each tax collector a government man.  Augustus helped improve life for people living in provinces outside of Rome by allowing them to obtain Roman citizenship.  One more thing Augustus changed about Rome was that he built beautiful palaces, fountains and public buildings around the city.  This beautified the city and added to its grandeur.

Julius Caesar

          In contrast, Julius Caesar managed to conquer territories outside of the Italian peninsula, such as Gaul, and help the poor.  He provided land for the landless and work for the jobless, but he did not accomplish as much as Augustus.  Caesar also appointed himself as dictator of Rome through violent means.  Caesar seemed to care more about gaining support from the majority of the citizens of Rome, and expanding it, rather than actually helping Rome become a more advanced city. 

Julius Caesar: Dictator or Reformer?

          I am a poor plebeian man.  I lost my farm to a wealthy patrician a few months ago, and I am now bonded through debt to another patrician.  I must slave away to his family, unpaid, for who knows how long.  I have a family - a wife and child to support.  How can I do this with no farm and me indebted for many years?  My future looked bleak until Julius Caesar took power.  After that, my life started going uphill.

          Caesar is a hero.  He helped Rome to defeat foreign tribes and parts of Great Britain, which has helped add strength and wealth to Rome.  He also treats the people he conquers fairly.  Caesar has let a few of them become government officials, and he grants citizenship to people living in Roman territories outside of the city.  He has also restored cities that have been destroyed in battle against our great Roman Republic to their former glory.  Because of Caesar, Rome has entered into a time of peace and prosperity.  Not only has he been fair to former enemies, but he has also improved the livelihood of the poorer people, like me.  This man has provided land for those who have none, and has forced patricians with many slaves to hire free plebeians, too.  This means that we do not have to worry about starving, since we can farm our own land, and we do not have to stress so much about money, because we have more job opportunities.  Thanks to Caesar, my and my family's future can now be viewed in a more optimistic light. 

Geography of Ancient Rome

Explain in detail how the geography and climate of the Italian peninsula affected the development of ancient Rome.

         The physical geography of ancient Rome was slightly similar to Greece.  It was mountainous, rocky, and had a coastline.  Across the north side of the peninsula, a mountain range (the Alps) isolated Italy from the rest of Europe.  Spread across Italy, running from north to south is another mountain range called the Apennines.  Unlike Greece, however, the Apennines were much less treacherous, and were easier to cross.  Because of this, Italy did not develop as many individual, isolated city-states, and instead unified into one great city.  Also, the Italian soil was more fertile than Greece, and the land flattened out into plains that were good for growing crops.  Since the Italians could produce so much more food than the Greeks, Italy was able to sustain a greater amount of people.
          Ancient Rome developed on seven hills that offered protection against enemy attackers, because they were so steep.  Also, the city was located near the Tiber River, which became one of its main sources of water, transportation, and travel.  Rome was near enough to the Mediterranean Sea that it was not isolated from other Mediterranean cities, but it was far enough away from it to stay safe from pirates.  Because of the Tiber River, many travelers and merchants stopped in Rome on their travels to the north or south of Italy.  This provided Rome with a steady stream of new ideas, knowledge of the world around it, and people to trade with.
           The physical geography of ancient Rome also affected its climate.  Because of the mountains, the climate in the center of Italy consists of hot summers and mild but precipitous winters.  These conditions made attracted many people to live in Rome because they were so promising. 

References:

"Ancient Rome: Geographical Analysis." SPQR.com. SPQR, 1999. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Flibrary.thinkquest.org%2F26602%2Fgeography.htm&ei=p3DDTpinG9Ha4QSBjM2pDQ&usg=AFQjCNECfRMsfIe-jlp3mJVplBtDuHJu9g&sig2=CswP8dIr6cB3aOM-imOxDA>.

The Legends of Rome

Describe the two legends that tell the founding of Rome.  Then describe how and when Rome was actually founded. 

          There are two legends about the founding of Rome.  One of these involves two twins: Romulus and Remus.  These two were abandoned by the river Tiber River and were expected to die.  However, they were rescued by a female wolf, and were later found by a shepherd, who raised them.  At around 753 BC, Romulus and Remus decided to build a city.  All was going well until the two brothers began to argue.  While searching out different sites of where to begin building, they  kept their eyes out for omens that would show which of the sites was best.  Remus apparently saw 6 vultures, which was a very good omen, whereas Romulus claimed to have seen 12 - an even better one.  They began arguing over the number of vultures they had seen, and during the argument, Remus made fun of the walls Romulus had built.  This was the last straw for Romulus, who then killed his twin.  This made Romulus the single king and leader of Rome, which he named after himself.

Aeneas

          The second legend involving the origins of Rome tells that the ancient city is far older than Remus and Romulus.  In the Aeneid, it tells of a hero, Aeneas.  Aeneas had been fighting in the Trojan War against the Greeks, and had escaped being killed when Troy was destroyed.  He arrived in Rome with a few of his men after many adventures.  After a few wars, Aeneas managed to marry the king's daughter and unite the Latins and the Trojans, and creating the city of Rome. 
          What historians really believe happened in the founding of Rome began with the Latins, as far back as 1000 BC.  Originally, there were a few different tribes who grew crops and tended to their herds or flocks of livestock.  Later, at around 700-800 BC, they decided to band together for protection against invading tribes.  This little town of people grew into what we now know as the city of Rome.

Works Cited

“The Founding of Rome.” The Roman Empire. roman-empire.net, 4 July 2007. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <http://www.roman-empire.net/‌founding/‌found-index.html>.

“Myths and Legends - Rome, the Wolf, and Mars.” About.com. about.com, 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <http://ancienthistory.about.com/‌cs/‌grecoromanmyth1/‌a/‌mythslegends_3.htm>.