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SULLA
As a Roman general,
Sulla (138–78 bce)
was a ruthless and
ambitious man. His
quarrels with a rival
general, Marius, led
to the first in a series
of bloody civil wars –
in which Romans
fought against
each other. Sulla
was the first general
to march on Rome
as the head of an
army and seize power.
Julius Caesar later
followed his example.JULIUS CAESAR
Politician, general, and writer,
Julius Caesar (c. 100–44 bce) is
famous for his conquest of Gaul
(modern-day France), which
he described in his book
The Gallic Wars. He
also fought and won
a civil war against a
rival Roman general,
Pompey. Caesar
marched on Rome
and was declared
dictator for life. He
was later murdered
for acting like a king,
which went against
the principles of the
Roman republic.EMPEROR AUGUSTUS
Augustus (the revered one) was
the title given to Julius Caesar’s
adopted heir, Octavian, when he
became Rome’s first emperor.
Augustus (ruled 27 bce–14 ce)
took power after defeating his
rival, Mark Antony, in battle.
He ruled Rome for more than
40 years, and brought peace
and stability to the empire
after years of civil war. AGRIPPINA
The wife of Emperor Claudius,
Agrippina (15–59 ce) was a
powerful and ambitious woman.
She persuaded her husband to
adopt Nero, her son from a
previous marriage. She is thought
to have then poisoned Claudius so
that the 16-year-old Nero could
come to the throne. At first, Nero
was dominated by his mother, but
he eventually grew tired of her
interference and had her murdered.TRAJAN
A Spaniard by birth,
Emperor Trajan (ruled
98–117 ce) was the first
Roman ruler to be born
outside Italy. He was a
successful general, and his
conquests in the
Balkans and what
is now Iraq brought
the Roman Empire
to its largest size.
In Rome, a famous
column was built in
his honour decorated
with scenes of
his campaigns.Julius Caesar
was known to
be balding, and
combed his hair
forward to try
and disguise
the factAlthough Augustus lived
to be 76, his statues
always showed him as
a handsome young manTrajan’s goatskin cloak is
worn for godly protection,
and displays the image of
the snake-headed MedusaOak wreath was an
award given to Augustus
for saving Roman livesLike Augustus, Trajan
wears the oak wreath,
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