Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa sprang from humble origins, and first encountered Octavian while still a boy. His name crops up now and then during Caesar's supremacy, so it seems that his association with Octavian was fairly constant, and that he was a firm friend. He came to prominence in the Perusine war, where in a modest way he demonstrated his capacities as a general, undertaking independent tasks very competently. He was sent into Gaul after the troubles with Lucius Antonius were over, and there he enjoyed considerable success, being the only general of his day, besides Caesar, to cross the Rhine. It was presumably his loyalty to Octavian that led him to refuse a triumph on his return from Gaul, at a time when Octavian himself had made only a very poor showing against Sextus Pompeius. Such self-effacement is a rare quality, and Agrippa was rarer still in that he never seems to have agitated for supremacy throughout his long association with Augustus. Velleius Paterculus sums him up: 'he was well-disciplined in obedience, but to one man only'. When Augustus was dangerously ill in 23, and not expected to recover, it was Agrippa to whom he chose to delegate tangible authority by handing over to him his signet ring, thus probably offending Marcellus, Augustus' nephew, who was generally considered to be the most eligible candidate to follow in Augustus' footsteps. Agrippa was granted an independent imperium in 21; that much is certain, but discussion still goes on as to the exact nature of this imperium. There are those who suggest that it was imperium aequum, or power equal to that of all other governors of the provinces, and there are scholars who are convinced that Agrippa was granted imperium maius, or power that was greater than that of all other governors, to enable him to act freely and give orders to whomever he wished. If this was so, then Agrippa's status was indeed high, and the honour and responsibility very significant. But there are serious reservations about this problem. If it is correct, as has been argued, that imperium maius did not exist, and that imperium was always imperium no matter what the circumstances, then all argument must face redundancy, or at least early retirement. Agrippa's position is not greatly diminished by this theory; in fact it is enhanced, for if there was no such imperium maius then Augustus did not possess it either, and so Agrippa was not held back, one rank behind Augustus as some have suggested, but was his equal in nearly all respects. This is underlined by the bestowal upon him of tribunicia potestas for a five-year term in 18, and for a second five-year term in 13. The only difference between him and Augustus was the duration of the power; Augustus held it for life, while Agrippa was restricted to five years. It is possible that he would have received such grants continually, but he held his second five-year tribunician power for only a very short time before he died in 12. The grant of tribunicia potestas was a signal honour, not granted to anyone else except Tiberius. Augustus' debt to Agrippa was not a secret, and rewards were not lacking, but, significantly, Agrippa's name occurs in the Res Gestae only when it is necessary to acknowledge him as consul. Otherwise every achievement is credited solely to Augustus himself. Agrippa would have expected nothing else. His achievements earned him credit among those who knew him well, and he was content with that; glory was reserved for Caesar Augustus. Dio reports on Agrippa's opinion of his place in life; if it is an invented speech, it does at least fit the known facets of Agrippa's character. In a nutshell, he regarded himself as a facilitator, who eased the path for his master without exceeding the bounds of permissible glory for himself.

From: Augustus
Book by Pat Southern