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Secondary sourceDocumentary

Roman History: The Early Empire

William Wolfe Capes

A modern volunteer audio reading of a history covering Augustus's rise to power after Julius Caesar's assassination.

A history covering Augustus's rise to power following the assassination of Julius Caesar.

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William Wolfe Capes, Roman History: The Early Empire, read by a LibriVox volunteer (modern reading, not the author's voice).

About this source

What it is

This is a LibriVox audio recording of 'Roman History: The Early Empire', a book by William Wolfe Capes, a 19th-century historian and clergyman. The text covers events from the assassination of Julius Caesar through the early Roman emperors, including Augustus. The audio is a modern volunteer reading of the public-domain text, not a historical recording or the author's own voice.

Why it matters

Capes's history traces how Augustus emerged from the chaos following Caesar's murder to become Rome's first emperor, and how the emperors who followed him, including Caligula, Nero, and Domitian, shaped the empire he founded. It shows how later historians pieced together and interpreted the turbulent transition from republic to empire.

Look closer

  • Why is it important to know this is a modern reading of an old text, not a historical recording?
  • How might a 19th-century historian's view of Augustus differ from a Roman source?
  • What does it mean that Augustus's reign is described alongside tyrannical emperors who came after him?

This documentary is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Augustus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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