Octavian, an 18-year-old student in Apollonia, hears that he has been named by his uncle, Julius Caesar, as his successor and heir

Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus meet in Bologna and form an alliance known as the second triumvirate

Octavian and Mark Antony defeat the armies of Brutus and Cassius at Philippi, after which Brutus and Cassius commit suicide

After their victory at Philippi, Octavian returns to Rome and Mark Antony remains in the east to control the extremities of the empire

Octavian defeats the forces of Antony and Cleopatra (both are at sea with their fleets) in a battle off the Greek coast at Actium

Octavian arrives in Egypt with an army, and holds Cleopatra a prisoner in her palace in Alexandria

The Egyptians declare Caesarion to be their pharaoh, but it is not long before he is executed by Octavian - bringing to an end the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt

Octavian annexes Egypt as a Roman territory and takes back to Rome the vast treasures of the Egyptian pharaohs

When Octavian's Egyptian hoard reaches Rome, the standard rate of interest falls from 12% to 4%

Octavian is given the life-long title of Augustus by the senate in Rome, becoming in effect the first Roman emperor

The excellence of the arts, particularly literature, during the reign of Augustus Caesar causes it to be remembered as a golden age of culture

Augustus Caesar puts a team of surveyors to work mapping the empire's 50,000 miles of roads, a task which will take them twenty years

Virgil dies just after completing the Aeneid, and imperial command from Augustus Caesar prevents his executor from destroying the epic

After the death of two of his grandsons, the emperor Augustus formally adopts his stepson Tiberius as his successor

Augustus Caesar insists on Tiberius adopting as his successor Germanicus, a talented young member of the imperial family

The period of stability achieved during the reign of Augustus Caesar has been given the name Pax Romana ('Roman peace')

The death of Augustus introduces half a century of chaos, as the members of his family compete ruthlessly for power

Tiberius succeeds his stepfather Augustus Caesar as the Roman emperor

The Augustan Age begins in English literature, claiming comparison with the equivalent flowering under Augustus Caesar