Germanicus

Germanicus traces the career of the commander whom many Romans regarded as the most attractive possible heir to Augustus. Raised within the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he served in Illyricum, restored discipline after the Rhine mutinies of AD 14 and led major campaigns against Arminius and the Germanic coalitions. Powell follows the recovery of legionary standards, the battles of AD 16 and the difficult decision by Tiberius to end attempts at conquest beyond the Rhine.

The biography then accompanies Germanicus through his eastern command, diplomatic settlements and journey into Egypt before his sudden death at Antioch in AD 19. Ancient accusations of poisoning and the role of Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso are assessed against medical and political evidence. The final chapters examine the persecution of Germanicus’s widow and children under Tiberius and Sejanus, and the survival of his public image through Caligula, Claudius and later Roman memory.