Osgood Josiah, Morrell Kit, Welch Kathryn (eds.) The Alternative Augustan Age

Oxford University Press, 2019. — 410 p.The princeps Augustus (63 BCE - 14 CE), recognized as the first of the Roman emperors, looms large in the teaching and writing of Roman history. Major political, literary, and artistic developments alike are attributed to him. This book deliberately and provocatively shifts the focus off Augustus while still looking at events of his time. Contributors uncover the perspectives and contributions of a range of individuals other than the princeps. Not all thought they were living in the "Augustan Age." Not all took their cues from Augustus. In their self-display or ideas for reform, some anticipated Augustus. Others found ways to oppose him that also helped to shape the future of their community. The volume challenges the very idea of an "Augustan Age" by breaking down traditional turning points and showing the continuous experimentation and development of these years to be in continuity with earlier Roman culture. In showcasing absences of Augustus and giving other figures their due, the papers here make a seemingly familiar period startlingly new.Josiah Osgood is Chair and Professor of Classics at Georgetown University (Washington DC). He has published several books on Roman history including Caesar's Legacy: Civil War and the Emergence of the Roman Empire (Cambridge University Press) and Turia: A Roman Woman's Civil War (Oxford University Press).
Kit Morrell is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Amsterdam and an Honorary Associate of the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Sydney. Her previous publications include Pompey, Cato, and the Governance of the Roman Empire (Oxford University Press).
Kathryn Welch is Associate Professor of Roman history at the University of Sydney (Sydney NSW Australia). Her most recent publications include Magnus Pius: Sextus Pompeius and the transformation of the Roman Republic (Classical Press of Wales) and (as editor) Appian's Roman History: empire and civil war (CPW). With Anton Powell, she edited Julius Caesar as Artful Reporter (CPW).