Gaius Octavius, as Augustus was originally known, was 18 when in 43 BC his great-uncle, the dictator Julius Caesar, was assassinated. When the will was opened, Octavius was named as Caesar's heir, and he was posthumously adopted as the dictator's son.
He therefore became known formally as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, but he called himself Caesar, so as to appeal to the dictator's veterans and supporters. Modern scholars, however, call him Octavian, to avoid confusion with the dictator Caesar.…
