Caesar Augustus (Octavian) In the wake of this decisive battle, the Battle of Actium, Octavian emerged as the sole master of the Roman world and would rule the Roman Empire for 45 years, until his death in A.D.14. Although his rise to power was always suspect, he succeeded in overhauling and reforming almost every Roman institution. He also helped to establish the Roman Empire on a much more rational basis. His reforms carried the Roman Empire for almost 200 years, and this, the most creative period of the Roman Empire, is often called the Age of Augustus. _In 22 BC, he was appointed to oversee Rome's grain supply. Which brings up the next issue concerning taxation. Taxation was not just simply money, but a part of the material wealth of those being taxed; this included the annual harvests, which always culminated in the great fall harvest period. In order to collect as much of this harvest as possible the taxation or assessment (personal wealth) would always occur immediately prior to the harvest, and be based on actual ripe or ripening fruit or grain. Harvest time in Israel and most of the Roman world occurred in the early fall not the winter. In Israel the Jewish Harvest festival is known as Sukkot (Succoth) or the Feast of the Tabernacles (Booths). This is the day for remembering the journey of the Jews through the desert to the Promised Land. For this day Huts are put up in the synagogues and in people's gardens, families gather in them to eat their meals at harvest time. This harvest always occurred in September or early October.