Augustus as a Leader of the Roman Empire - Essay Example

By removing the statues, Augustus does not want to be seen as ostentatious.

Augustus says he used the money he got from the statues to make golden offerings to the temple of Apollo. He refers to his offerings as golden, implying that they are valuable. The statues, which Augustus removed, were made of silver. He, however, chose gold for the temple because it was more valuable than silver. He is interested in donating what he feels is the best to the temple. It shows his desire to give back to society instead of benefiting himself, a sign of modesty.

In another situation, Augustus describes how he had bailed out the public treasury, built roads, and financed major public projects. He also describes how he had built a strong army in his nineteenth year using personal resources. His modesty comes out clearly from his desire to achieve social goals rather than personal ambitions.

Augustus' modesty is also evident from the way he chose to store the silver statues he had removed. It seems he did not want to offend the people who had honored him by building the statues. He chose to put their names on his offerings to the Apollo temple.