Augustus (63 BC – AD 14) was the founder of the Roman Empire and the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death. In his youth, his great-uncle Julius Caesar named him as his primary heir, and after Caesar's assassination in 44 BC he inherited his estate and took his name. He seized power by marching on Rome in 43 BC, and he, Mark Antony and Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate. Competing ambitions tore the alliance apart, and Augustus was triumphant, taking imperial power. Augustus enlarged the Empire, but suffered a major setback in Germania. He protected Rome with a buffer of client states and secured peace with the Parthian Empire and the Kingdom of Kush. He developed Roman roads, with an official courier system; established a standing professional army, the Praetorian Guard, as well as official police and fire-fighting services for Rome; and renovated much of the city during his reign. The reign of Augustus initiated an imperial cult and an era of imperial peace. ( Full article... )
| | Paro Taktsang is a Buddhist monastery located in the upper Paro valley of Bhutan. Also known as the Taktsang Palphug Monastery and the Tiger's Nest, it is located in the cliffside of a mountain, around a cave where Guru Padmasambhava is believed to have meditated and practiced Vajrayana Buddhism in the early 9th century. The monastery was built in 1692 by 4th Druk Desi Tenzin Rabgey. Photograph credit: Nina R; edited by UnpetitproleX Recently featured: |