NSWAncient History

Section IV (Historical Periods): The Augustan Age 44 BC to AD 14

21 dot points across 21 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What was the Augustan Settlement and how did it establish the principate?

The First Settlement (27 BC) and the Second Settlement (23 BC), the constitutional powers granted to Octavian (now Augustus), the political theory of the principate, and the verdicts of Syme, Goldsworthy, and Eck
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the Augustan Settlement. The First Settlement of 27 BC (the title Augustus, the provincia), the Second Settlement of 23 BC (tribunicia potestas, maius imperium proconsulare), and the political theory of the disguised monarchy, with the verdicts of Syme, Eck, and Goldsworthy.
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How did Augustus organise the principate and the administration of the empire?

Augustus and the principate, including the political reforms, the administration of the provinces, the relationship with the senate and the equestrians, the army reforms, and the consilium principis
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on Augustus and the principate. The senatorial and equestrian reforms, the imperial and senatorial provinces, the army reforms (the standing legions, the Praetorian Guard, the aerarium militare), the consilium principis, and the verdicts of Syme and Eck.
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What was Augustus's foreign policy and how did he organise the imperial frontiers?

Augustus's foreign policy and the imperial frontiers, including expansion in Spain, the Alps, the Balkans, Germany, the Parthian settlement, the Teutoburg disaster (AD 9), and the recommendation to keep the empire within its frontiers
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on Augustus's foreign policy. Spanish pacification (19 BC), Alpine campaigns, Balkan and Danubian wars, German campaigns and the Teutoburg disaster (AD 9), the Parthian settlement (20 BC) recovering Crassus's standards, and the verdicts of Eck and Goldsworthy.
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What were the geographical, social, political and economic features of the Greek mainland and the Persian Empire at the start of the fifth century BC?

Survey of the Greek world and the Persian Empire c. 500 BC, the geographical setting, the polis system, the Spartan and Athenian constitutions, the Cleisthenic reforms, and the rise of Achaemenid Persia under Darius I
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the background to the Greek world 500 to 440 BC. The geography of mainland Greece, the polis system, the Cleisthenic reforms at Athens, the Spartan dual kingship and the Peloponnesian League, and the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Darius I.
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How was the Delian League founded in 478 BC, what were its aims and organisation, and what did Athenian leadership of the League mean in practice?

The foundation of the Delian League in 478 BC, its original aims and organisation, the role of Aristides, the recall of Pausanias, and the early campaigns under Cimon (Eurymedon)
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the Delian League. The Spartan withdrawal under Pausanias, Aristides's organisation of the League at Delos in 478 BC, the assessment of tribute and the synod, early campaigns under Cimon culminating at Eurymedon (c. 466 BC), and the League's original aims and limits.
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How did Athenian democracy develop between 478 and 440 BC, and what were the reforms of Ephialtes and Pericles?

The internal political development of Athens, the reforms of Ephialtes (462 BC), the leadership of Pericles, the introduction of state pay for jurors and officials, the Periclean building program, and the cultural achievements of the period
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the development of Athenian democracy in the period. The reforms of Ephialtes against the Areopagus in 462 BC, the assassination of Ephialtes, the leadership of Pericles, the introduction of state pay (misthos), the citizenship law of 451 BC, the building program, and the cultural achievements.
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What was the First Peloponnesian War, and how did the Greek world look at the end of the period in 440 BC?

The First Peloponnesian War (460 to 446 BC), the long walls, the Egyptian disaster, the Five Years' Truce (451 BC), the Peace of Callias (around 449 BC), the Thirty Years' Peace (446 BC), and the significance of the period
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the First Peloponnesian War and the significance of the Greek world 500 to 440 BC. Tanagra, Oenophyta, Coronea, the Egyptian disaster, the long walls of Athens, the Five Years' Truce, the Peace of Callias, the Euboean revolt of 446 BC, the Thirty Years' Peace, and the legacy of the period.
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How was the Persian invasion finally defeated in 479 BC, and what were the reasons for the Greek victory?

The campaigns of 479 BC at Plataea and Mycale, the role of Pausanias, the end of the Persian invasion, the reasons for the Greek victory, and the immediate consequences for Greek leadership
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the final defeat of the Persian invasion in 479 BC. The Battle of Plataea under Pausanias, the simultaneous victory at Mycale, the reasons for the Greek victory (hoplite warfare, Greek unity, Persian limitations, Themistocles and Pausanias), and the immediate consequences.
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What were the causes and course of the Ionian Revolt and the first Persian invasion of Greece culminating at Marathon?

The Ionian Revolt (499 to 494 BC), the burning of Sardis, the Battle of Lade, Darius's first invasion of Greece in 490 BC, and the Battle of Marathon
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the Ionian Revolt and Marathon. Aristagoras and Histiaeus, the burning of Sardis (498 BC), the Persian reconquest at Lade (494 BC), the Mardonian and Datis expeditions, and the Athenian victory at Marathon in August 490 BC.
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What were the careers and significance of Themistocles, Pausanias, and Cimon in the Greek world 500 to 440 BC?

The careers and significance of Themistocles, Pausanias, and Cimon, including the naval policy, the long walls, the regent's medism, the campaigns at Eurymedon and Thasos, and the ostracism of 461 BC
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the personalities of the Greek world 500 to 440 BC. Themistocles (naval policy, Salamis, the long walls, ostracism, exile to Persia), Pausanias (Plataea, Byzantium, recall, medism, death), and Cimon (Eurymedon, Thasos, ostracism in 461 BC, recall, death at Cyprus).
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How was the Delian League transformed into the Athenian Empire between 478 and 440 BC?

The transformation of the Delian League into the Athenian Empire, the suppression of revolts (Naxos, Thasos, Samos), the Egyptian disaster, the transfer of the treasury to Athens (454 BC), Athenian imperialism, and the methods of control over the allies
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the transformation of the Delian League into the Athenian Empire. Naxos and Thasos, the Egyptian disaster (454 BC), the transfer of the treasury to Athens, the Coinage Decree, the cleruchies, the Samian revolt (440 BC), and the nature of Athenian imperialism.
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What were the course and significance of Xerxes' invasion of Greece in 480 BC, including Thermopylae, Artemisium, and Salamis?

The preparations and invasion of Xerxes (480 BC), the Hellenic League, the battles of Thermopylae, Artemisium, and Salamis, and the strategic role of Themistocles' naval policy
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on Xerxes' invasion of Greece in 480 BC. Persian preparations, the Hellenic League and the congress at the Isthmus, the bridging of the Hellespont, the canal at Athos, the battles of Thermopylae and Artemisium, the evacuation of Attica, and the Greek naval victory at Salamis.
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How was the Roman Empire administered under the Julio-Claudians, and what changes did the period see?

Julio-Claudian administration, including the imperial bureaucracy, provincial governance, the army, the Praetorian Guard, and the financial structure
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on Julio-Claudian administration. The imperial bureaucracy under Claudius's freedmen secretaries, the provinces (senatorial vs imperial), the army (legions and auxiliaries), the Praetorian Guard, and the imperial fiscal system.
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How did Claudius and Nero rule, and how is their legacy assessed?

The reigns of Claudius (AD 41-54) and Nero (AD 54-68), the dynastic crisis of AD 68-69, the historiographical assessment of each, and the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on Claudius (AD 41-54) and Nero (AD 54-68). Claudius's accession via Praetorians, his administrative achievements (Britain conquest, the freedmen secretariat), Nero's accession via Agrippina, his early competent rule, his late-reign descent, the great fire of Rome AD 64, and the year of four emperors AD 68-69.
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What was the political and constitutional context of Rome at the death of Augustus in AD 14?

The Augustan settlement and its legacy at AD 14; the constitutional position of the princeps; the family dynamics of the Julio-Claudian dynasty; the succession question
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the context of Julio-Claudian rule. The Augustan principate at AD 14, the Julio-Claudian family tree, the succession question, and the constitutional framework that subsequent emperors inherited.
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How did Tiberius rule from AD 14 to 37, and how is his reign assessed?

Tiberius's accession and reign (AD 14-37), the role of Sejanus, the treason trials, Tiberius's retirement to Capri, and the historiographical assessment of Tiberius
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the reign of Tiberius. Accession via Augustan adoption, military and administrative competence, the role of Sejanus 23-31, the treason trials, the move to Capri, and the historiographical debate (Tacitus's hostile portrait vs modern revisionist assessments).
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How did Octavian emerge as Caesar's heir after the Ides of March?

The political and military situation in Rome from the Ides of March (44 BC) to the formation of the Second Triumvirate (43 BC), including Octavian's claim as Caesar's heir, his manoeuvres against Antony, and the Battle of Mutina
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on Octavian's emergence after Caesar's assassination. The Ides of March (44 BC), Octavian's adoption by testament, his political and military manoeuvres, the Battle of Mutina, and the formation of the Second Triumvirate (43 BC).
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How did religion and propaganda support the Augustan regime?

Religion, propaganda, and the Pax Romana, including the Ara Pacis, the Res Gestae, the imperial cult, the religious revival, the Augustan poets, and the visual program of the new Rome
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on Augustan religion and propaganda. The Ara Pacis Augustae, the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, the imperial cult, the religious revival (Vesta, Pontifex Maximus, pomerium), the Augustan poets (Virgil, Horace, Livy), the Pax Romana, and the verdicts of Galinsky, Zanker, and Beard.
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How did Octavian defeat Antony and Cleopatra to become master of the Roman world?

The Second Triumvirate (43 to 33 BC), the Battle of Philippi (42 BC), Antony's Eastern policy and his alliance with Cleopatra, the propaganda war, and the Battle of Actium (31 BC)
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the Second Triumvirate and Actium. Philippi (42 BC), the Treaty of Brundisium (40 BC), Antony's Eastern policy, the Donations of Alexandria (34 BC), the propaganda war, and the Battle of Actium (2 September 31 BC).
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What were Augustus's social and moral reforms?

Augustus's social and moral legislation, including the Leges Juliae of 18 BC, the Lex Papia Poppaea of AD 9, the marriage and adultery laws, the slavery laws, and the question of their effectiveness
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on Augustus's social legislation. The Leges Juliae of 18 BC on marriage and adultery, the Lex Papia Poppaea of AD 9, the slavery laws, the exile of Julia and Ovid, and the verdicts of Galinsky and Cohen on the effectiveness of the reforms.
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How did Augustus manage the succession and what was the impact of his death?

The succession problem under Augustus, including the candidates (Marcellus, Agrippa, Gaius and Lucius Caesar, Tiberius, Agrippa Postumus), the role of Livia, and the death of Augustus in AD 14
A focused answer to the HSC Ancient History dot point on the Augustan succession. The candidates and their fates (Marcellus 23 BC, Agrippa 12 BC, Gaius and Lucius Caesar AD 2-4, Tiberius adopted AD 4), Livia's role, Tiberius's emergence, the death of Augustus on 19 August AD 14, and the verdicts of Tacitus and Goldsworthy.
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