Augusto e il tentato suicidio: una interpretazione filosofica di Plin. nat. 7.150

This paper investigates Emperor Augustus’ alleged suicide attempt through starvation, as detailed by Pliny the Elder in a brief passage of Naturalis Historia 7.150. This study does not aim to reconstruct the historical event itself, but rather to offer a philosophical exegesis of Pliny’s account, demonstrating how Augustus’ crisis and his subsequent decision to live align with the ethical principles of Stoicism, particularly the concept of the ruler’s duty (statio principis) and the Stoic notion of the sapiens.