Augustan rule (28BC - AD14) can be deemed as very successful for the reason that its many achievements overshadow the few failures. Rome was saved from the chaos of the Republic with the establishment of the Principate. Peace and prosperity was achieved both internally and externally. Living standards were upgraded with the building program. The army was reformed and new territories consolidated, with the help of foreign policies. At the end of his rule, Augustus successfully handed it down to a member of the imperial family. However, there were failures. The moral policies were ineffective, the appointment of Varus was an unwise decision, and expectation of state beneficence was increased.

Augustus's greatest success was the restructure of government which rescued Rome from the decay of the Republic and became the framework of a system which according to Galinsky, his successors carried on for more than two centuries. According...