Emperor Augustus 'brought safety and stability'
This week marks 2000 years since the death of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome.
Adrian Goldsworthy, the historian and author of Augustus: from Revolutionary to Emperor, told the Today programme that "he fought his way to power through a civil war that went on for the best part of 20 years."
He added the Roman Empire lasted for centuries after Augustus's death "pretty much with the system he created" and that its success "is all down to Augustus".
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday 18 August.
18 Aug 2014
- From the section Europe