Jordan Reid BerkowSay no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayRome of AugustusTF: Brian JobeFebruary 22, 2003Caesar Augustus, hero or tyrant? : The effects of hindsight on the representation of Caesar by Dio Cassius Caesar Augustus, during his reign as princeps of the Roman people, cultivated an image of military prowess, generosity, virtue and clemency. The History of Rome by Velleius Paterculus, written only a few years after the death of Augustus, paints a picture of Caesar that we imagine is entirely consistent with the way he wanted to be represented. Cassius Dio's History of Rome, written around AD 229, presents a very different picture, depicting Augustus as an uncertain and tyrannical tyrant. The three ways in which both authors, in their descriptions of the Battle of Actium, most clearly represent Caesar's differences are his fighting style, his attitude toward his captives, and the attention paid to his victory. Across these three vehicles, Velleius and Dio present such radically different versions of Caesar Augustus that it is almost impossible to reconcile the two into a coherent picture of who this man really was. Caesar's fighting style and character as an adversary are portrayed very differently by Velleius and Dio, with the former presenting Augustus as diplomatic and decisive, and the latter portraying him more as a bullying tyrant than a conquering hero. Velleius opens his description of the Battle of Actium by explicitly stating where his loyalties lie: "Caesar and Antony...fought, one for security and the other for the ruin of the world" (SB 78) . Although many sources question Augustus' military prowess, Velleius explains Caesar's decision to leave direct action to generals like Agrippa by stating that "Caesar, reserving himself for that part of the battle to which fortune could call it, was present everywhere” ( BS 78). So it was not that Caesar was incapable of fighting at Agrippa's level, but rather that he was diplomatically prudent enough to delegate tasks when his services would be more effective elsewhere. Dio's portrayal of Caesar's fighting style couldn't be more different. To describe Caesar's attack on Antony's forces, he uses words such as "threatened," "provoked," and "harassed" (SB 139). He further presents Augustus as an uncertain and indecisive leader, twice stating that Caesar did not know how to proceed in the face of Antony's tactics (SB 140, 141). Caesar's fighting style and leadership abilities, as described by Dion, therefore paint a much less noble image of the courageous and heroic man described in Velleius's History. Caesar's treatment of Antony's men after his victory is another subject treated radically differently by Velleius and Dio. Velleius emphasizes to the point of repetitiveness the clemency of Caesar – a trait that Caesar closely associates with himself, as can be seen in the Res Gestae. Velleius writes that “Great clemency was shown in victory; no one was put to death, and only a few were banished” (SB 78), and soon after reiterated this assertion, writing that “this was in accordance with Caesar's fortune and his clemency. that none of those who took up arms against him was put to death by him or by his order" (SB 79). Dio instead presents Caesar's victory as a terrible tragedy, vividly describing the horrors resulting from Caesar's decision to set fire to Antony's ships While Velleius writes that Caesar..