The Roman EmpireIn 27 BC During the reign of the emperors, Rome's political policies varied depending on which emperor was in power. Not only was the policy fragile, but there was never a clear method of succession for the man who controlled that policy. Rome had created the office of emperor in the hope that men like Augustus would continue to lead it to prosperity, but the office of emperor had difficulty finding great men to lead Rome. The position never really evolved into anything greater than when it was first created, but instead varied depending on the personality of the man occupying the position. Augustus created the office of emperor with the Augustan Principate, which was to "have no institutionalized authoritarian authority". power, no perpetual dictatorship such as Julius Caesar himself had been passed in early 44, or anything similar (Stockton, 124). Despite his wishes, the people of Rome ended up giving Augustus eternal office and the power to control the Senate with the right to dictate agendas and veto (Stockton, 128). The people of Rome had created a position of absolute power, exactly what Augustus was trying to prevent. At the time, the people of Rome could not realize what they were creating in the office of emperor, because Augustus was a great man whose leadership created a large shadow on the shoulder of any future emperor. Augustus would be followed by Julio-Claudian. dynasty which ruled the beginnings of imperial Rome. The succession of Augustus demonstrated the difficulty of paper in times of good fortune and expansion. Whereas in times of instability, artistic ingenuity stagnated. Eventually, at the end of the empire, the quality of art would decline as the empire deteriorated. This deterioration in the quality of art would continue for decades until the Renaissance brought artistic quality back to the level of that of ancient Rome under the Antonines. The type of art created could be used as a very good indicator of what the Roman political scene was like at the time.Works Cited1. Stockton, David. “The Founding of the Empire.” Illustrated History of Oxford. Oxford U. Press, 1988. pp. Purcell, Nicholas. “The Arts of Government.” Illustrated History of Oxford. Oxford U. Press, 1988. pp. Wilson, RJA “Roman Art and Architecture”. Illustrated History of Oxford. Oxford U. Press, 1988. pp... 361-399