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Last Wednesday, as the sun was rising in Rome and ballots were being counted across America—but before any swing states had been called—I took a brisk walk to the mausoleum of the Emperor Augustus.

In 44 B.C. a young man arrived at the home of Mark Antony. The young man's great-uncle had recently been killed and he, having been named heir, had come to Rome to put the family's affairs in order.

Born 63 BC Reigned 31 BC – 14 AD Pivotal moment: In accepting his inheritance from Julius Caesar, Augustus turned the republic into the empire. There was very little in the family origins of Augustus ...