Abstract

AbstractThis paper comments on the tension between constantimitatioand refusedaemulatio gloriaein Tiberius’ attitude towards Augustus in Velleius Paterculus’History. I argue that Tiberius is equalling and eventually even surpassing Augustusprecisely becausehe refuses to compete with him, let alone surpass him. In order to do so, I focus on two hitherto neglected Augustan intertexts, which are referenced at very distinct moments of Velleius’ portrayal of Tiberius. The first is the moment when Tiberius appears on the political stage at the age of 19 (2.94.1); the second is the last mentioned event of his life before he succeeds Augustus, namely his third triumph inad12 (2.122.1).

Highlights

  • In Velleius Paterculus’ History, there is not the slightest doubt about Tiberius’ authority and his ability to govern Rome

  • I argue that Tiberius is equalling and eventually even surpassing Augustus precisely because he refuses to compete with him, let alone surpass him

  • In order to do so, I focus on two hitherto neglected Augustan intertexts, which are referenced at very distinct moments of Velleius’ portrayal of Tiberius

Read more

Summary

Introduction

In Velleius Paterculus’ History, there is not the slightest doubt about Tiberius’ authority and his ability to govern Rome. As Alison Cooley has recently argued, “one of the challenges faced by Tiberius was that there was no clearly defined Principate to which he could be the successor”.4 Instead, so she continues, the years of Augustus’ authority and the belief in the divine predestination of his reign developed in such a way that at a certain stage it felt natural that someone had to be found to succeed him in this unique position. Augustus’ shadow turned out to be an ambiguous legacy for Tiberius While he needed to anchor his authority in his predecessor’s principate, it was important to keep a certain distance from Augustus and his restrictive regime of the last decade of his life, so that those Romans who still cherished wishful memories of the Republic would not oppose the politics of the new princeps. Before I turn to them, some remarks about Velleius’ conceptual use of Republican aemulatio might be helpful

Velleius and aemulatio
Tiberius imitator non aemulus
Conclusion
Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.