How did Augustus use propaganda to support his success?

Augustus had many close colleagues such as Maecenas who had links with influential figures such as poets. Maecenas then made arrangements with these people, such as Ovid and Horace and offered them money and services in return for poetry that praised Augustus. Other figures such as Virgil have been said to have been influenced by Augustus, and so his famous epic, the Aeneid contains pro-Augustan material. Pieces such as these were prevalent in Roman culture and so these views regarding Augustus were very easily spread throughout Rome.
Augustus also used other figures such as Agrippa and Tiberius who were successful in battle and took credit for these successes. This meant that in the poetry and other pieces shared, Augustus was seen to be successful within battle, which ensured many Romans trusted his capabilities and consequently aided his success.

CC
Answered by Chloë C. Classical Civilisation tutor

3016 Views

See similar Classical Civilisation A Level tutors

Related Classical Civilisation A Level answers

All answers ▸

To what extent is Odysseus a good leader?


Describe how Homer makes Books 9-12 of the Odyssey vivid ?


Are the women in Greek tragedy less interesting than the men?


How far do you think Augustus’ building programme in the city of Rome was motivated by practical considerations and how far by other factors?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning