Tiberius: The Life and Legacy of Ancient Rome’s Second

Tiberius: The Life and Legacy of Ancient Rome’s Second Emperor

*Includes pictures
*Includes ancient accounts
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
â€œHis character too had its distinct periods...Again, while his mother lived, he was a compound of good and evil; he was infamous for his cruelty, though he veiled his debaucheries, while he loved or feared Sejanus. Finally, he plunged into every wickedness and disgrace, when fear and shame being cast off, he simply indulged his own inclinations.â€ â€“ A description of Tiberius written by the ancient historian Tacitus Throughout the history of the Roman Empire, many rulers held the reins of ultimate power. Some of them, like Octavian, Trajan, Hadrian, Constantine, and Marcus Aurelius, are still celebrated and considered among antiquityâ€™s great statesmen, generals and thinkers. Conversely, the Roman Empire also had its fair share of notorious villains, from the sadistic Nero to the debauched Commodus, and all of Romeâ€™s poor rulers pale in comparison to the record and legacy of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, a young man remembered by posterity as Caligula.
One of the most overlooked emperors was also one of the first, and he lived in chaotic times. Tiberius was born in 42 BCE, just as the Roman Republic was dissolving and a new Roman imperial power structure emerged under Octavian, who became Romeâ€™s first emperor as Caesar Augustus. Tiberiusâ€™s life soon became caught up with Augustusâ€™s as the emperor worked to found and establish a dynasty, but it is unclear if Tiberius ever really wanted to be part of Augustusâ€™s plans or inherit imperial power - Tiberius was known as a man who schemed and planned, but he was also a scholar and showed a marked desire throughout his life to retreat and escape the demands of power. Partially due to this continual tension, Tiberiusâ€™s life is enigmatic in many ways. Tiberius championed the Republic and seemed to desire its return, yet his acceptance of imperial power and his reign solidified Romeâ€™s transition to an empire. He was a skilled general who showed concern for the well-being of his troops, and he displayed a remarkable patience as a military tactician. After he rose to become emperor in 14 CE, he ruled for over 22 years, which would be the longest reign of a Roman emperor over the next 100 years, but he remained suspicious of everyone and eventually chose the wrong person to trust, being eventually misled and betrayed by a man whom he thought was his closest friend. When he finally died, aged and lonely, he had become so hated that crowds celebrated his death.
Not surprisingly, given Tiberiusâ€™s lack of popularity, especially at the end of his life, many of the primary sources present a view of Tiberius that is skewed in one direction or other, usually negatively. For example, Tacitus explicitly aimed to display examples of morally good and evil characters for his audience, and described Tiberius as a man who undergoes moral decline to become a hypocritical leader and a cruel tyrant, an enemy of freedom and justice. Suetonius, likewise, is concerned with tying the story together under a moral theme, and he depicts Tiberius as a man with problems such as cruelty and hatred toward his family. Cassius Dio wrote later than the other authors, and his account has many similarities with Suetoniusâ€™s and Tacitusâ€™s. On the other hand, the account of Velleius Paterculus, a contemporary of Tiberiusâ€™s, gives a more positive viewpoint; Velleius celebrated the peace that was achieved under Augustus and the continuation of the benefits of Augustusâ€™s reign under Tiberius, as well as lauding Tiberius as a careful, brilliant, and courageous leader.
Tiberius: The Life and Legacy of Ancient Romeâ€™s Second Emperor examines the history of one of the most famous fighting forces in the world. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the emperor like never before.
Country USA
Brand CREATESPACE
Manufacturer CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Binding Paperback
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781985580602
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	CREATESPACE
Manufacturer	CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Binding	Paperback
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781985580602
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

Tiberius: The Life and Legacy of Ancient Rome’s Second Emperor

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