The bimillennium of Augustus’ death on August 19, 2014, provided a global platform for evaluating his posthumous significance.
A bimillennium is more than a chronological marker; it is a "purely notional" yet powerful opportunity for systematic reassessment. The early 21st century has witnessed a cluster of these anniversaries, most notably the 2,000th anniversary of the death of Augustus (AD 14–2014) and the death of Ovid (AD 17–2017). These milestones have sparked a "wave of new and creative scholarly interest," prompting historians and classicists to move beyond traditional hagiography toward more complex, "disfigured," or "globalized" interpretations of Roman legacy. The Augustan Bimillennium (2014) bimillennium
Earlier in the 20th century, the "Bimillennium Vergilianum" (the 2,000th anniversary of Virgil’s birth in 1930) set the precedent for these celebrations. The bimillennium of Augustus’ death on August 19,
Contemporary readings of Ovid's exile poetry have shifted to look at the "disfiguration" of his career—a "real and abominable" event that tore his life apart, rather than just a literary trope. These milestones have sparked a "wave of new
Investigations during this period highlighted how Augustus was often "Christianized" in later legends, such as the report of an oracle prefiguring the birth of Christ, which eventually linked him to the foundation of the Santa Maria in Aracoeli . The Ovidian Bimillennium (2017)
Programs like Commemorating Augustus aimed to help educators find "new practical tips" for teaching his complex history in schools.