23 September 63 BCE marked the birth of a nephew of Julius Caesar (who had no sons of his own), and became Julius' heir as Caesar Augustus and the key figure in what we now know as the Roman Empire.
Augustus was widely respected during his reign, in part because of good works campaigns such as starting the first police and firefighting services and distributing funds to soldiers and veterans, in part because of his cultivated modesty, melting down statues of himself and restoring temples of Roman deities, and in part because of his creation of an imperial guard that acted as his personal intimidation team.
https://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/augustus.html
The month of August was named after him -- and it's a popular time for travelers to visit his city! What are your favorite sites for gaining understanding of Augustus' works and times?
Promoting himself as the man who would return Rome’s past glory, Augustus claimed that only by restoring the traditional values that had first made Rome great could he hope to make it great again. One writer commented: ‘He renewed many traditions which were fading in our age and restored 82 temples of the gods neglecting none that required repair at the time.’
As ruler of Rome, Augustus had to lead by example. He re-established traditional social rules and religious rituals, sacrificing animals to Rome’s gods. In 12 CE he made himself Pontifex Maximus, the chief priest of Rome and head of the Collegium Pontificum, the highest priests in the land. This title is nowadays held by the Pope.