Death Of Octavian

[Gaius Valerius]

While watching the History International channel last night, it made a bold assertion, really a statement of fact, that Augustus was murdered by his wife, who fed him poison fruit. To my knowledge, although there may have been rumors to that effect, there is not one shred of evidence supporting this. Octavian was about 76 years old, I believe, at his death. A ripe old age in its time. I have friends who quote the History channel as if it is the absolute authority on just about anything, and I find this type of "scholarship" an irritation. Am I missing anything here?

[Primus Pilus]

While watching the History International channel last night, it made a bold assertion, really a statement of fact, that Augustus was murdered by his wife, who fed him poison fruit. To my knowledge, although there may have been rumors to that effect, there is not one shred of evidence supporting this. Octavian was about 76 years old, I believe, at his death. A ripe old age in its time. I have friends who quote the History channel as if it is the absolute authority on just about anything, and I find this type of "scholarship" an irritation. Am I missing anything here?

 

It's actually from ancient sources... though Dio Cassius was hardly a contemporary. Dio is convinced of it, while Tacitus only offers that Livia was suspected of the deed. Of course, suspicion of poisoning or foul play came to be rather customary when considering the deaths of imperial family members.

 

Dio 56.30.1-2. Tacitus Ann. 1.5.

 

I believe it was Anthony Everitt in his Augustus, the Life of Rome

[Primus Pilus]

By the by, I failed to address this in my first post, but I personally agree with your assessment. It would seem most plausible that Augustus died of natural causes and that the poisoning theory was only to add to the general disparagement of Livia and Tiberius. Of course, there is no way for any of us to prove this on either side of the equation, but I find it misleading documentation by the history channel to not address the dramatized nature of the historical reporting of imperial deaths. Death by assassination simply makes for better television, I guess.

[Gaius Valerius]

By the by, I failed to address this in my first post, but I personally agree with your assessment. It would seem most plausible that Augustus died of natural causes and that the poisoning theory was only to add to the general disparagement of Livia and Tiberius. Of course, there is no way for any of us to prove this on either side of the equation, but I find it misleading documentation by the history channel to not address the dramatized nature of the historical reporting of imperial deaths. Death by assassination simply makes for better television, I guess.

 

Thank you for your response and links. I believe that oftentimes various writers and/or media try to create a major mystery where there very well may be at best a minor one. For example, I remember a broadcast a few years ago about the death of Alexander the Great. The show focused its attention on the "mysterious and inexplicable death" of Alexander at age 32. A friend of mine who is a physician as well as an ancient history buff, commented that we have to remember that in that era, virtually anything that we treat today with readily available medications or what we now consider routine surgery was fatal. Appendicitis could have been fatal. Or, as he also noted, "being cut with a rusty sword could do someone in." With a technical life expectancy of about 27 to 30 years of age, (admittedly due to a very high infant mortality rate), living to almost 76 years of age, as did Octavian, was probably a major accomplishment. I also agree that it is far more likely that enemies of Tiberius and Livia were quick to circulate rumors. Even the sources admit that they are nothing more than rumors, and are not supported by any evidence.