John S. McHugh - Sejanus: Regent of Rome

Sejanus

For my family, my rock, the anchor that steadies my ship.

Regent of Rome

John S. McHugh

First published in Great Britain in 2020 by

Pen & Sword Military

An imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Yorkshire Philadelphia

Copyright John S. McHugh 2020

ISBN 978 1 52671 497 8

eISBN 978 1 52671 499 2

Mobi ISBN 978 1 52671 498 5

The right of John S. McHugh to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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Bust of the emperor Tiberius in Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen. ( Attributed to Cnyborg assumed (based on copyright claims). [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons )

Antonia the Younger. ( By Rabax63 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 )], via Wikimedia Commons )

Marble portrait of Drusus ca. 21 AD in Louvre, Paris. ( Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5 )

Greek marble bust of Agrippina the Elder. Portrait made in Athens under the reign of Caligula, between 37 and 41 AD, now in the Louvre, Paris. ( Attributed to [GFDL ( http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html ) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ )], via Wikimedia Commons )

Marble bust of Germanicus created on the occasion of the adoption of Germanicus by Tiberius in 4 AD from Crdoba, Spain. ( Attribution GFDL ( http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html ) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ )], via Wikimedia Commons )

Bronze coin of Philadelphia, Lydia, possibly depicting Tiberius Gemellus. Struck in c 3537 AD showing bare headed Tiberius Gemellus with winged thunderbolt on the obverse (RPC I 3017). ( Attribution Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com [GFDL ( http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html ), CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ ) or CC BY-SA 2.5 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 )], via Wikimedia Commons )

Marble bust of Gaius (Caligula) in the Louvre, Paris. ( Attribution By Anonymous - Clio20, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=599879 , via Wikimedia Commons )

The Great Cameo of France is a sardonyx cameo created around 23 AD. It depicts the imperial family both living and deceased. The top heavenly layer shows Augustus in the centre in the regalia of pontifex maximus with Drusus, the son of Tiberius and Germanicus riding a winged horse. The angelic figure floating before Augustus has been interpreted as Aeneas or his son Julius, the legendary founders of the Julian dynasty. The middle layer is reserved for the living members of the Julio-Claudian house. In the centre the emperor Tiberius sits on his throne with his mother Livia sat alongside him. In front of the emperor stands his heir Nero Caesar, the son of Germanicus and Agrippina. Beside him stands his wife Julia, the daughter of Drusus and Livilla (Livia). Livilla stands slightly behind them with Gaius, the future emperor Caligula. Behind the throne of Tiberius is Drusus Caesar, the second son of Germanicus with his mother Agrippina. Below the imperial family lie figures of defeated and submissive barbarians. ( Attribution GFDL ( http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html ), CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ ) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0 )], via Wikimedia Commons )

Bronze As struck in 31 AD at Bilbilis with legend TI CAESAR DIVI AVGVSTI F AVGVSTVS showing the image of Sejanus. The obverse carries the legend AV(ligate)GVSTA BILBILIS TI CSARE V [L L]IO [SEIAN]O, with COS within wreath. The name of Sejanus has been removed as he suffered damnatio memoriae (RPC I 398; NAH 1079-80; SNG Copenhagen 620). ( Attribution by Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com , CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2385731 )

The grotto at the Villa of Tiberius, Sperlonga. ( Attribution by Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany (Villa of Tiberius, Sperlonga) [CC BY-SA 2.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 )], via Wikimedia Commons )

Exterior of grotto from Villa of Tiberius, Sperlonga. ( Attribution by Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany (Villa of Tiberius at Sperlonga) [CC BY-SA 2.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 )], via Wikimedia Commons )

Remains of the Villa of Tiberius, Sperlonga. ( Attribution by Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany (Villa of Tiberius, Sperlonga) [CC BY-SA 2.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 )], via Wikimedia Commons )

Cast of the Binding of Polyphemus which was part of a group of statues from the grotto of the Villa of Tiberius at Sperlonga, from the Museum fr Abgsse Klassischer Bildwerke. Original located in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Sperlonga. ( Attribution by Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany - Detail of the Blinding of Polyphemus, cast reconstruction of the group, Sperlonga, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37879520 )

Copy of part of the Scylla Group from the grotto of the Villa of Tiberius, Sperlonga, depicting the right hand of Scylla catching one of Odysseus companions in the Museum fr Abgsse Klassischer Bildwerke, original located in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Sperlonga. ( Attribution by User:Bibi Saint-Pol, own work, 2007-02-10, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2791432 )

Villa Jovis, Capri. ( Attribution by http://www.flickr.com/photos/tylerbell/ - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tylerbell/4099737408/ , CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8791305 )

Tiberius villa on Capri. ( Attribution by IzoeKriv - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49362334 )

Villa Jovis, Capri. ( Attribution by No machine-readable author provided. Buckeye~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=553604 )