Tiberius

by Captivating History Book 5 in the Roman Emperors series.

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3.7(71)

Tiberius follows Rome’s second emperor from his early military career and troubled place within the family of Augustus to his accession in AD 14. It examines his administration, relations with the Senate, the rise and fall of Sejanus and the emperor’s later withdrawal to Capri. The book also considers the hostile ancient traditions surrounding Tiberius and asks how far the image of a secretive tyrant reflects the realities of governing the young Roman Empire.

The reign is especially difficult to reconstruct because later Roman authors wrote under emperors shaped by the memory of Julio-Claudian tyranny. Reports of sexual excess, cruelty and isolation on Capri must therefore be weighed against evidence for competent provincial administration and financial restraint. The biography treats Tiberius as a test case in how hostile political memory can dominate the reputation of an emperor.