Tiberius was a significant Julio-Claudian emperor who applied a great deal of contributions to the Roman Empire during his reign… The Julio-Claudian dynasty refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula (also known as Gaius), Claudius, and Nero and the family to which they belonged. They ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century 27 BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line, Nero, committed suicide. The ancient historical writers, Suetonius and Tacitus, write from the point of view of the Roman senatorial aristocracy, and portray the Emperors in generally negative terms.…
Gaius Octavius was born in 63 BC, the year of Cicero’s consulship, into a wealthy and respected family (Octavii) from the countryside south of Rome. With his birth, the future of the Roman Empire was radically changed. He was to become one of the most powerful men the world has ever seen, using his wit and ruthlessness to achieve the ultimate positions in the Roman Empire…becoming ‘tribunicia potestas’ and ‘imperium maius’. Having these powers Augustus had virtual control over the entire Roman Empire, and after changing his name to Augustus legitimately achieved these positions. So how did he do it? Octavian’s entrance into politics, his campaigns against the republicans and Mark Antony will all be discussed in this essay.…
Roman history was known for having many bad emperors and Nero was amongst one of them. He became famous for his self-indulgence and cruel behavior. He was the last emperor from his period. Nero was the first to persecute Christians and set a model for that religion's oppression that went on and on for many years. Augustus had brought and secured harmony to the Roman Empire and during his reign he combined a range of powers. Caligula four years as emperor were bizarre and after his assassination, his uncle, Claudius came into power. Often depicted as a mug, he was able to show his capability as an emperor from time to time. After Claudius died, Nero came to power.…
Emperor Trajan was born Marcus Ulpius Nerva Trajanus in 53 CE in Spain. Because the previous Emperor, Nerva, was extremely unpopular with the soldiers, he chose Trajan as his adoptive son and heir. Trajan, at the time, was well known for his military skill and valor. Trajan's rule was marked by peace and prosperity for the Romans; he freed slaves and returned property that had been seized by Nerva. Furthermore, Trajan expanded the Roman Empire with a series of conquests, most notably the Dacian Wars. During his reign,…
The Julio-Claudians are the four emperors that succeeded Augustus following his death in AD14. The Julio-Claudians were Roman Nobles with an impressive and significant ancestry in the Roman Empire. It was during the Julio-Claudian reign that the Roman Empire reached an optimum level of power and wealth, and has been seen as the golden age of Roman arts and literature. The beginning of the Julio-Claudian dynasty was signified by the succession of Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar, most commonly known as Tiberius, to the throne in AD14. Tiberius appears to have been the most capable and experienced of the Julio-Claudian emperors, due to his military, administrative and diplomatic abilities. He was a capable and forceful leader, who enforced justice within the government of the provinces, maintained the integrity of the frontiers, and monitored the finances of the empire. Despite his abilities, he became unpopular in Roman society, and his time as emperor has been described as a reign of terror due to his cruel nature, and the events that occurred during his reign. The significance of Tiberius’ reign as emperor is most evident in the political, social, legal and military developments during his reign; foreign and domestic diplomacy; and the role of building programs during this period. The portrayal of Tiberius in sources, and the reliability of these sources also has an influence on the significance if his time as Princeps.…
Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus was born on September 18, 53 and died on August 9, 117, Roman Emperor (98117), commonly called Trajan, was the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Roman Empire. The five good emperors heightened the overall Roman Empire. Trajan was born into a prominent political family. He was the son of Marci and Marcus Ulpius Traianus, a prominent senator and general. In the mid 70's, Trajan's father was Governor of Syria , where Trajan himself remained as Tribunus legions. Trajan was nominated as Consul and brought Apollodorus with him to Rome around the early 90's. It was the potental Emperor Hadrian who brought word to Trajan of his adoption, and thus had Trajan's favor for the rest of his…
Emperor Nero was the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty in Rome. Nero was actually born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger in December AD37. Nero’s father was employed as a praetor and a staff member of Emperor Caligula, and was charged with murder, cheating, treason, adultery and incest by the previous emperor, Emperor Tiberius. Succeeding this is Emperor Caligula, but upon Nero’s father’s death in AD39 when Nero was just two years, Nero and his mother was banished.…
From the beginning of the Roman Empire a series of imperial archives was kept, records which covered the rulers of Rome including their personal behavior, their interaction with those around them, and most importantly their achievements during their reign over the empire. Suetonius, the author of The Twelve Caesars, produced the biography during the reign of Emperor Hadrian for whom he served as the imperial secretary gaining access to the imperial archives. Suetonius used the imperial archives and a series of first hand accounts to produce his work which covered in vast detail the inner working and personal aspects of their roman leaders beginning in 70 BC to 96 CE. Divius Julius and Augustus were the first two of the twelve Caesars which began the development of Rome, beginning with Julius’ first consulship and coming to an end with Augustus’ passing. During their reign Rome became the most powerful and prosperous empire at the time through the conquering of territories such as Africa, Egypt, Spain and parts of Germany. Following the death of Augustus in 14 CE., the reign of the last four Caesars of the Julian bloodline began. These final four Caesars of the Julian bloodline included Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius, and Nero. All of these Roman rulers had their own differing personalities, vices and means of ruling the Roman Empire. This paper will thoroughly explore the development of the final four Caesars over the course of 14 AD to 68 CE. Along with the changes that the Roman civilization experienced during the Caesars reign, the decisions of these Roman Emperors that lead to Rome’s changes, the analysis of their decisions, the personalities of the four Caesars, how the public viewed the Caesars and finally my own opinion on the Caesars.…
Roman emperor Caligula was one of the crulest rulers around. He would enjoy torturing people.He became emperor by smothering the last emperor (Tiberius) and the empire fell into his hands. He ruled for 5 years before being murdered. Before he bécame a amperes he was a politician.…
state was founded in 509 B.C. after the Romans drove out the hated Etruscan King,…
Marcus Pacuvius was known as one of the greatest, if not the best, Roman artist in ancient history. He is definitely one of my favorite artist, and has made classic pieces that still stand in Italy today. Marcus Pacuvius was born on April 20th, 220 B.C.E. Though he was born in the Roman town of Brindisi, Italy, he was considered to be a native from the town of Brundisium, which was a very large roman city during this time. Marcus Pacuvius was the nephew of Ennius who was considered the father of Roman tragedies, and was the man who raised Roman tragedies to the huge position of influence it became during their time in ancient history. Throughout Marcus childhood, he was very fond of nature and art, and not only began to practice writing with…
Scipio was born in 236 B.C. in Liternum, Campania. He is born into the Scipio family, which is a famous and one of the great patrician families in Rome. Scipio’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all been consuls.…
Nero was a well known Roman emperor, but for the wrong reasons. He was a terrible ruler, and killed thousands of people during his reign between 54 AD–68 AD. He was born on December 15, 37 AD in Antium, Italy. He was first known as Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. His father was Cnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and his mother was Agrippina the younger. At the age of two his mother was banished by Caligula to the Pontian Islands. Then when Claudius became emperor he recalled Agrippina the younger back from exile. She married Claudius, and her son received a better education by becoming the student of Annaeus Seneca. The marriage also changed his name to Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus. In October 54 AD Claudius died from poisoning, most likely due to…
He was born at Naissus, Moesia on February on the year 272 A.D. Constantine’s full name is Flavius Valerius Constantinus. Constantine was educated in Greek and Latin. He had a rough childhood, mostly because his dad left Helena, Constantine’s mom, and Constantine at a very young age. He grew up to be a very prospering and amazing emperor.…
From the very beginning, Agrippina’s sole goal was getting her son, the fifth in line for the Roman Empire, on the throne. After a difficult birth, Agrippina was said to have consulted an astrologer about Nero and his future. When the astrologer told her that Nero would kill his mother one day, she responded, “Let him kill, as long as he rules” (Griffin 23). Nero’s early years revealed further neglect as Agrippina was banished for treason to an island by Caligula and a two-year-old Nero was sent to live with his Aunt. One year later, Caligula met his demise, so Nero had his mother restored to him and he became the only living male descendant of Augustus and thus, the fourth in line to the throne. Claudius, the emperor that succeeded Caligula married a widowed Agrippina and adopted Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus at age thirteen, renaming him Nero. Besides getting a new name and a new father at age thirteen, Nero was also given the title “Prince of Youth” (Holland 55) and the power of proconsular powers outside the city limits. At age fifteen, Nero was brought even closer to the position of Emperor when he married Claudius's daughter from a previous marriage, Octavia. Through all of this, Agrippina was still playing puppeteer for her son Nero, waiting to get her hands on power. On October 12, AD 54, she…