Portraits Of Power - The Faces Of Imperial Rome

Claudius, 41 - 54


Claudius
AE As
TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP, bare head left
S-C, Minerva standing right, raising javelin

Unlike his illustrious brother Germanicus, Claudius was an outcast from a young age, due to an unknown affliction (cerebral palsy and Tourette's have been suggested) that caused him to limp, stammer, drool, and have periodic seizures. Kept from the public eye, Claudius contented himself with scholarly pursuits, focusing on history and language. While his family was initially impressed with his studies, he crossed the line when he wrote a history of the Civil Wars that rubbed Augustus the wrong way, and Claudius was again pushed to the background. When Tiberius died in 37, Claudius, now middle aged, caught his lucky break and was nominated as co-consul with the new emperor. Claudius was used as little more than the object of Caligula's cruel humor, but he was nevertheless at the forefront of public and political thought when Caligula was assassinated in 41. According to legend, Claudius, fearing for his life, fled and hid behind a curtain and was declared Princeps upon being discovered.

Initially hesitant to accept the nomination, Claudius appeared before the Senate, who ratified the appointment after some considerable debate. To everyone's surprise, many of the new emperor's ailments seemed to rectify themselves once he found himself in a position of absolute power; leading some to suspect that he had exaggerated his condition for most of his life to avoid the attention of potential assassins. Although some historians paint him as a man of weak character - a gambler, quick to anger, easily swayed by emotion, and dominated by the women in his life - Claudius was an efficient administrator. He undertook the largest campaigns of conquest since Augustus, most famously conquering much of Britannia. He built and restored aqueducts and roads and shifted a great deal of power back to the Senate while placing pressure on them to perform up to his standards.

The women of his life were ultimately his downfall. Following two divorces early in his life, his third wife Messalina engaged in an excessive number of very public and damaging sexual affairs. This culminated in 48 AD when she married her lover Gaius Silius in a public ceremony while Claudius was away at Ostia. Ostensibly she did this because she thought Claudius incapable of safeguarding the future of their son Britannicus. Enraged, Claudius had his wife, her lover, and their entire political circle executed. Realizing the need to consolidate his position, he married his niece Agrippina the Younger and adopted her teenaged son, the future emperor Nero. Nero and Britannacus were then made joint heirs, although Britannacus was far too young to be considered a potential candidate for the Purple. Over the next few years, as Nero asserted himself as the heir of Claudius, Agrippina began clearing the field for her son to assume the purple. Claudius fell suddenly and violently ill and died on 13 October 54; nearly all ancient sources agree that he was murdered by Agrippina by way of poison, probably by sneaking toxic mushrooms into his food.

Agrippina the Younger, wife of Claudius, mother of Nero, died AD 59


Agrippina II
AE16 of Aezanis, Phrygia
AΓΡIΠΠINAN CEBACTHN, draped bust right
AIZANITΩN, draped bust of Persephone right, ear of corn before

Born 6 November 15, Agrippina was the daughter of Agrippina Major and Germanicus, thus the great-granddaughter of Augustus and of Mark Antony, the granddaughter of Agrippa, the sister of Caligula, and the niece of Claudius. Initially travelling with her father and siblings, she was sent to Rome to be raised by her grandmother Antonia. Her mother returned to assist in raising her after the death of her father in 19, and she began aspiring to greatness under the influence of her powerful female relatives.

She married her cousin Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus at the age of thirteen in 28, although the marriage was unhappy and remained childless for nine years - historians describe Ahenobarbus as a despicable and dishonest man. Along with her sisters, Agrippina was given high honors when her brother Caligula came to power. Already pregnant, she gave birth to Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, the future emperor Nero, on December 15, 37. Caligula became increasingly unhinged throughout 38, and after the death of their sister Drusilla, Agrippina and Livilla conspired to murder their brother to replace him with Lepidus, Drusilla's widower. The plot was thwarted, and the sisters were stripped of all of their belongings and exiled. Lucius (Nero) was allowed to remain in Rome.

Agrippina was able to return from exile upon the death of Caligula in 41 and the rise of her uncle, Claudius. She tried in vain to seduce and win over the future emperor Galba around this time. She married Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus later that year, under the urging of Claudius. During this time, Claudius' wife Messalina attempted to assassinate Lucius (Nero) but failed. Agrippina was widowed a second time in 47 - by this time, her popularity with the public had grown, which was sympathetic to the numerous hardships she had endured. Messalina was executed on charges of conspiracy in 48, and Agrippina began tugging at political strings to get advisors to urge Claudius to marry his niece and unite the Julian and Claudian family trees. Claudius relented and they were married on the first day of 49, despite the immorality of the incestuous (but not strictly illegal) marriage.

Her position now secure as Empress of Rome, Agrippina began systematically and ruthlessly clearing the field of everyone who could challenge her or her son. Accusations of black magic and incest saw many opponents exiled, while she had others assassinated. A year later, she received the title of Augusta, being the third to hold this most prestigious honor. She persuaded Claudius to adopt her own son, despite having his own heir in Britannicus. Lucius was then renamed Nero, who was married to his step-sister Octavia in 53. Around this time, Claudius reportedly came to his senses and realized that his empire and bloodline were being wrestled from his control, but before he could outmaneuver his wife, Agrippina poisoned him with deadly mushrooms, killing him on October 13, 54.

Claudius out of the way and Britannicus too young to assume office, Agrippina now controlled the empire through her son, who initially did her bidding without question. She soon had a falling out with Nero over her son's illicit love affair, and threatened to support Britannicus and have him elevated to the Principate. Nero then had Britannicus killed, sparking a deadly power feud. Nero had his mother expelled from the palace, and then in 57 exiled her to Misenium, where they both tried to be as much of a headache as possible to each other. Tensions boiled over until Nero finally resolved to kill his mother in early 59. Ancient historians are contradictory on the actual method or motive behind the matricide, but all describe an elaborately-designed boat that collapsed or sank itself with Agrippina on board. All accounts recall that she survived the self-sinking boat, only to be assassinated soon after. She died on March 23, 59, aged 43. Despite years of hostility between them, Nero was reportedly consumed with regret over the death of his mother, and haunted by nightmares and reportedly her ghost.

Poppaea Sabina, Second wife of Nero, d. 65



Poppaea
BI Tetradrachm Alexandria, Egypt
ΠOΠΠAIA ΣEBAΣTH, draped bust of Poppaea right, LIA to right
NEΡΩ KΛAY KAIΣ ΣEB ΓEΡ AV, radiate head of Nero right
Year 11 of Nero = 64-65 AD

Born in 30 to an aristocratic family in or near Pompeii, Poppaea Sabina's family was ruined when her father's career was ended by his friendship with Tiberius' second in command, Sejanus. Her mother fell victim of the intrigues of Claudius' wife Messalina in 47. When she was 14 years old, Poppaea married Rufrius Crispinus, the Praetorian Prefect under Claudius. Around the time that he was removed from his command by Agrippina, Poppaea divorced her first husband in favor of Otho, who would himself become emperor. Ancient historians have suspected that Otho was seen by Poppaea as little more than a stepping stone to get the attention of the emperor Nero, who fell in love with her and divorced his first wife Claudia for her. Poppaea divorced Otho in 58, who was sent away to govern Lusitania, the Western frontier of the Roman world. The histories are confused and contradictory, but some claim that Poppaea pressured Nero into matricide to clear the path to her assuming the title of Augusta, although she did not actually marry Nero until 62.

Nero was reportedly infatuated with Poppaea, and the two had a daughter, Claudia, who died in infancy. According to the hsitorians, she was pregnant with their second child in mid-65 when she and Nero became embroiled in a domestic dispute. Depending on which historian is to believed, Nero either kicked her to death, or else her death was an accident in the heat of the moment. She lost the child and died of her injuries, aged about 35.

Super coins Steve!...Love the Galba portrait

Very interesting coin of Poppaea coupled with a sad ending!

Really enjoying your ability to summarize...Thanks for sharing..

Super thread for a non-collector of ancients, though we share the appreciation for fine portraits.
Learning a lot. Thanks!

Vitellius 16 April - 20 December 69



Vitellius
AR Denarius
A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, Laureate head right
LIBERTAS RESTITVTA, Libertas standing right, holding pileus (freedman's cap) and scepter
RIC 105

Vitellius was born in AD 15, the son of a prestigious senator. Rumor has it that as a boy he was subjected to the abusive "whims" of emperor Tiberius so that his father could more quickly ascend through the ranks of public office. He spent his teenage years in the Near East, probably coming in close proximity to a particular Jewish prophet during a stop at Judaea.

He returned to Rome as a young man, and followed in his father's footsteps, rising through the ranks quickly and maintaining close relationships with several emperors. He was nearly crippled while engaging in a chariot race against Caligula, and was a close personal friend of Nero. Whatever his personal nature, he loved but two things: gluttony and gambling.

Upon the death of Nero in 68, he was sent by Galba to be the governor-general of the troops in Germania. He had no military experience, so historians think this may have been Galba's attempt to disable any effective resistance from the legions he had scorned by refusing the usual donatives. Unrest boiled over, and on 2 January the troops declared for Vitellius against Galba. The inexperienced Vitellius was left behind while his top generals led the legions. En route, it was discovered that Galba was already dead and replaced by Otho, who had recalled the superior Danbuan legions to reinforce his position against Vitellius. Otho's troops were not fast enough, and after several days of defeats, Otho opted for the more noble death and ended his own life to end the civil war. Unchallenged, Vitellius was ratified by the Senate, and he set off at once for his triumph. Passing through the battlefields where Otho's dead still lay, he is said to have infamously remarked "How sweet is the death of an enemy, but sweeter still is that of a fellow Roman."

His tenure as Emperor was nothing but a perpetual party; he ate and drank himself into a stupor around the clock, and he executed people for the crime of being a buzzkill. He killed everyone to whom he owed a gambling debt, and banished astrologers for warning him of divine retribution for his sins. The astrologers responded by predicting his downfall and death by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the armies in the East had declared for Vespasian by the end of the summer, and the new rival marched for Rome. By the autumn, Vitellius was universally loathed, protected only by those who stood to profit from his extravagances. Despite numerous warnings and defecting generals, Vitellius remained in Rome until Vespasian was knocking at his door. He attempted to resign his office to spare his life, but was forced to remain by the Praetorian guard. On 20 December, in a panic Vitellius dressed himself in commoners' clothing, stashed a retirement's worth of Aureii into a girdle, and barricaded himself in his doorkeeper's quarters. The legions broke in, identified him as the emperor, then stripped him half-naked and paraded him through the streets to the Forum. There he was tortured in what historians only describe as a horrific manner. Turning to his captors, his final words were "Yet I was once your Emperor..." and he was struck dead by a Gallic soldier, fulfilling the prophesies set against him. He was 54 years old. His body was dragged through the streets and thrown into the Tiber, then his family (except for his wife, apparently) was executed, leaving Vespasian unopposed and the civil war concluded.

Titus, 79-81



Titus
AR Denarius
IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, Laureate head right
TR P VIIII IMP XIIII COS VII, Sol(?) standing on rostral column

Born in 39 AD, Titus came of age during his father's rise to prominence under Claudius and then Nero. He was close to Britannicus, and was reportedly next to him when Nero had him poisoned. His early career is obscure, but he rose quickly through the military ranks thanks to the influence of his father, and distinguished himself as a capable general, serving at least in Germania and Britannia. After he was widowed from his first wife in 65, he married Marcia Furnilla, and although they had a daughter together, he was quickly forced to divorce his wife due to her family's dangerous involvement in a conspiracy against Nero. Titus was summoned to assist his father in quelling the Jewish Revolt, and there distinguished himself as a brilliant general. He was left in charge of the campaign when Vespasian headed west to claim the office of Princeps for himself, and Titus whittled the resistance down to the city of Jerusalem. After a long and bloody siege, he succeeded in breaching through the three walls of the city, looted it of its treasure, burned it to the ground, and then demolished much of the ruins, intent to wipe all memory of that city from existence. According to Josephus (a Jewish commander who was pressed to serve as an intelligence officer for the Romans, and later wrote a detailed history of the rebellion), more than a million perished in the sack of Jerusalem. Titus returned to Rome in 71, and was awarded a triumph for his victory in Judaea. The Senate confirmed him and his younger brother Domitian as Caesares under their father. During his decade serving as Caesar, he achieved notoriety both for his ruthless investigations and quelling of conspiracies against his father, and also for a controversial love affair with Berenice, the exiled Jewish princess who had been living in Rome. He did break off this relationship, but the public was deeply troubled over the prospect that Titus would become the next Caligula or Nero upon his ascent to office.

When his father did die in 79, Titus immediately distinguished himself as one of the most compassionate and rational men ever to hold the Principate. His first act was to put an end to all treason trials based on slander or libel, which had been used by all previous emperors to keep their opposition in line. Two months in, he was faced with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which leveled Pompeii and Herculaneum. Just a few months later, Rome was again ravaged by a great fire that burned for three days and nights. He was universally commended for his organized and effective relief efforts, personally contributing from his own fortune. In 80, he oversaw the completion of the Colosseum and initiated the inaugural games, which spanned a hundred days of festivities and drew immense crowds. He faced only one major opponent, a rebel by the name of Terentius Maximus in the Eastern provinces, who claimed to fulfill the prophesy of Nero Redivivus, that Nero either had never died or would return from death to re-establish the Julio-Claudians to the Principate. The rebellion was quelled shortly before Parthia threw its backing behind the rebel and sparked a war with Rome. Titus' successful and promising reign came to an abrupt halt in September of 81 when he fell suddenly ill and died while travelling. There were persistent rumors of foul play from Domitian, but not enough evidence exists to judge one way or another. He was 41 years old.