Augustus was the first Roman emperor. After a naval, victory at Actium in 31BC, Augustus Caesar became sole ruler of the Roman empire. His regime was wise and calm, in sharp contrast to the times which had gone before. In Edward Gibbon's famous words Augustus Caesar 'found the city built of brick and left it built of marble'. Horace, Virgil, Ovid and Livy celebrated his achievement. In France the reign of Louis XIV became known as an Augustan Age. In Britain, the name was given to the period which began with the reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714), and thus to the Augustan Style of English garden design.
