Tiberius and Senate

Question 1

T attitude to senate early on in power SUETONIUS

Answer 1

• T used tribunician powers to convene senate after A death (breaking news); shows he has power to do so.
• Tiberius wanted at the start of his reign to see senate become more independent and a more influential partner in the empire. Wanted a good working relationship. he regarded himself as a “servant of the senate”. he referred to all public business with the senate. consulted them about disbanding troops.
• he made way for the consuls in the streets
• If decrees passed in defiance of wishes, he did not complain.

Question 2

T requests senate advisers SUETONIUS

Answer 2

To serve as advisers, Tiberius asked senate to choose twenty of their most prominent members. of these barely two or three survived unscathed. rest he killed.

Question 3

Governor of Africa TACITUS

Answer 3

Tacfaranus: wrote to senate requesting them to choose a governor who was an experienced commander to be allocated province of Africa. It was decided that the emperor choose cuz they were not prepared to do so. T then wrote letter to them complaining that they had referred all their difficulties to him

Question 4

Women going with men to provinces TACITUS

Answer 4

Senate then discussed if men appointed for governorships should be allowed to take their wives. Severus wanted no wives because they attract “rascals”. they are too frail.
Messallinus said men should be allowed to relax with their wives after duty. a misbehaving woman is her husbands fault.
Drusus said how Augustus always traveled with his wife, and he likewise would bring his “beloved wife” when needing to leave rome.

Question 5

Sycophancy of the senate TACITUS

Answer 5

sycophancy of the senate: after the rebellion in Gaul they decreed vows for his safe return after the war was ended and T went to inspect the situation. Dolabella went as far as suggesting Tiberius enter the city from Campania with an official ovation. Tiberius rejected this

Tacitus bias shown about senate: “this was a tainted, meanly obsequious age”. Even tiberius couldnt bare their Sycophantic nature, calling them “men fit to be slaves!”, and openly declining titles bestowed upon him by the senate.

Question 6

Tiberius asks for —– public funeral

Answer 6

T asked senate to award a public funeral to Qurinius who had been a good soldier with military tribune and had been nice to tiberius. The senate however remember him as being mean, and the man who persecuted Amelia Lepida, were reluctant to do so.

Question 7

extravagant eating TACITUS

Answer 7

extravagant eating - T wanted stern measures against extravagant eating.
the aediles argued that the laws were being ignored which prohibited food prices (which were now increasing daily).
The matter was then referred to senate who instantly referred it to Tiberius.
He criticised aediles for not coming to him sooner so he could have “advised them not to tackle such deep-set flagrant evils (T doubted they could stop such eating). Says they cannot neglect the prohibition cuz it would cause national ruin.
after letter, aediles were excused from the task.
since then however, extravagant eating became unfashionable. this was due to the reign of terror making the public fearful.

Question 8

trial of Aemila Lepida TACITUS

Answer 8

During the trial of Aemila lepida, Tiberius was difficult to work with as it was hard to read what he was up to. Told senate not to cinsider the charges of treason, but then went himself to get the evidence which he had ostensibly wanted to exclude.