Tiberius 14-37 CE Flashcards
What made Tiberius’ succession challenging?
There was no precedent for Tiberius to follow
How did Augustus prepare Tiberius to succeed him?
He named him as an heir in his will, gave him maius imperium and showed him off in public
What did Augustus have that Tiberius lacked?
His distinction and personality
How did Tiberius try to secure the principate for himself?
He immediately started issuing orders to the Praetorian Guard, but told the Senate he was unwilling like Augustus had
What crisis happened during Tiberius accession in 14 CE?
The legions in Germany and Pannonia rebelled
Why did the German and Pannonian legions rebel in 14 CE?
Many of them had been underpaid or not released at the end of their service
How did Tiberius respond to the mutinies in 14 CE?
He sent Drusus the Younger to Pannonia and Germanicus to Germany to deal with it
Why was Tiberius’ forced adoption of Germanicus problematic?
Tiberius already had a son (Drusus) and some of the legions wanted to make Germanicus emperor
Where did Tiberius send Germanicus in 17 CE?
To settle trouble in Syria and Judaea
Why did Tiberius send Germanicus to Syria in 17 CE
To separate him from his military support under the guise of utilising his expertise
What else did Tiberius do in 17 CE that caused trouble for Germanicus?
He replaced the governor of Syria with Calpurnius Piso
What did Piso do in 18 CE?
He travelled behind Germanicus, undermining Germanicus’ authority everywhere he had stopped, before overtaking him and winning the support of the Syrian legions
What did Germanicus do when he arrived in Syria in 18 CE?
He confronted Piso and they parted in open hatred
What did Germanicus do in 19 CE that Tiberius saw as a challenge to his authority?
He entered Egypt without Tiberius’ permission
What happened to Germanicus when he returned to Syria in 19 CE?
He fell seriously ill and died
What did Germanicus believe about his illness?
That Piso had poisoned him on Tiberius’ orders
What happened to Piso after Germanicus death?
He was brought to Rome for trial
What was Piso tried for and what was the outcome?
Stirring up civil war in Syria, he committed suicide upon realising that Tiberius wouldn’t help him
How did the people of Rome react when news of Germanicus’ death reached them?
They grieved immensely and speculated about Tiberius’ involvement
How did Tiberius react to Germanicus’ death?
He refused to meet Agrippina with the ashes, limited the public honour and encouraged people to stop grieving
What did his position as head of the Praetorian Guard allow Sejanus to explot?
His access to Tiberius
Why did Tiberius trust Sejanus?
He had no alternatives
What had the Senate refused to give Tiberius at the outset of his reign?
Colleagues
What unpleasant things did Sejanus allegedly in his rise to power?
Murdered Tiberius’ son Drusus in 23 CE and then seduced Drusus’ wife Livilla
What was the first impediment to Sejanus’ power
Tiberius refused to allow him to marry Livilla
What did Sejanus do when Tiberius refused to let him marry Livilla?
Convinced Tiberius to leave Rome
Where did Tiberius go in 25 CE?
Campania
Where did Tiberius in 26 CE?
Capri
Why was it easy for Sejanus to convince Tiberius to leave Rome in 25/6 CE?
He frequently left Rome during Augustus’ reign and was likely tired of being princeps at this point
What happened to Sejanus whilst Tiberius was away?
He was treated like the emperor
What reason did Tiberius give for his change of heart and return to Rome in 31 CE?
Sejanus’ prosecution of Germanicus’ sons Nero and Drusus
Why did Sejanus target Nero and Drusus whilst Tiberius was away from Rome?
They were other potential successors
What do other sources report as Tiberius’ reason for returning to Rome in 31 CE?
Sejanus’ ex wife informed Tiberius of Sejanus’ part in Tiberius’ son’s death
What happened to Sejanus after Tiberius returned to Rome in 31 CE?
His admirers quickly turned on him and he and his children were brutally executed
Other than the mutinies in 14 CE, what challenges to his rule did Tiberius face?
Tacfarinas the auxiliary deserter in Africa 15-24 CE
How did Tacfarinas cause Tiberius trouble?
He launched raids on Roman territory which threatened the grain supply
What happened to Tacfarinas in 17 CE?
His troops were defeated by Furius Camillus but Tacfarinas escaped
What did Tacfarinas do after his troops were defeated in 17 CE?
Continued to ransack villages and bested a cohort from the Third Legion
What did the letter Tacfarinas wrote to Tiberius demand?
A settlement of land
What did Tacfarinas threaten to do if Tiberius refused to meet his demands?
Make war on Rome
How did Tiberius respond to Tacfarinas’ letter?
He was outraged and sent Quintus Junius to secure a decisive victory
How did Quintus Junius deal with Tacfarinas’ men?
He won large numbers of them over with the offer of an amnesty and routed the rest
How did Tacfarinas die?
He was killed in a early-morning surprise attack orchestrated by Cornelius Dolabella
What does Tiberius’ response to mutinies in 14 CE and Tacfarinas tell us about him?
He relied heavily on others
What did Tiberius reintroduce during his reign that made the senators dislike him even more?
The treason trials
Who did the treason trials usually target?
The senators
How did the senators see the treason trials?
As a suppression of free speech
What caused the treason trials to spiral out of control?
Delatores, professional informants who profited off of making accusations
Who had been deified by the time of Tiberius’ succession?
Julius Caesar and Augustus
What effect did the deification of Julius Caesar and Augustus have on the imperial cult?
It became part of religious life all across the empire
How did Tiberius react to proposals of divine honours for him?
He repeatedly vetoed them
Why did Tiberius grow frustrated with the Senate?
They were overly sycophantic and of little political assistance
Why did the Plebs dislike Tiberius?
He was reclusive and cautious with money
What did Tiberius’ caution with money allow him to do?
Deal with fires in Rome and provide earthquake relief for the province of Asia
Why was Tiberius so unpopular?
He couldn’t play the part the same way Augustus could
