cations of hostility to the senate and nobles'. Among those put to death were Vitellinus Cassius and his father Capito 2; while Scribonius Proculus was assassinated to please him by the senate during its sitting 3. He is now stated to have assumed the attributes, dress, and insignia of various gods and even goddesses, and to have exacted the divine honours paid to each, also to have brought to Rome and adapted to his own likeness famous statues of gods from Greece and elsewhere, and to have meditated setting his effigy up in various famous temples 5. A deputation from the Jews of Alexandria, headed by Philo, was sent to plead on behalf of the religious scruples of the Jews, but considered themselves fortunate in escaping with their lives". Petronius, the legatus of Syria, was commanded to set up a statue of the emperor within the Holy of Holies in the Jewish temple. The earnest remonstrances of the Jews to Petronius, backed up by his own intercession and that of Agrippa, procured a temporary remission of the sentence, but a final and peremptory decree is said to have been sent afterwards, and the crisis to have been averted only by the emperor's death 8. At Rome men saved themselves only by abject flattery, in which L. Vitellius (who had earned a reputation in Syria by having extorted homage and hostages from Artabanus) was conspicuous. A. U. C. 794, A. D. 41. C. CAESAR IV, CN. SENTIUS SATURNINUS, Coss. A conspiracy was formed by Cassius Chaerea and Cornelius Sabinus, tribunes of the praetorian guard, in which the emperor's chief freedman Callistus and others took part. Gaius was assassinated during the Palatine Games, Jan. 24 10. Principate of Claudius. The senate met hastily to discuss the situation, and debated on the restoration of the Republic, but separated without coming to a decision ". Outside, all was in confusion; the German guards had taken vengeance, and had slain persons of distinction unconnected with the conspiracy 12 ; 12 the populace were clamouring for the names of the assassins, but were somewhat cowed by the boldness of Valerius Asiaticus1. Meanwhile, some of the praetorians had found Claudius hidden in the palace, had saluted him as imperator, and carried him to the camp, where on the next day, after promising them a donative of 15,000 H. S. each 2, he had accepted their sacramentum; and the senate, after some negotiation in which Herodes Agrippa had taken a prominent part, found itself left with only insignificant military authority, and had no resource but to ratify this choice 3. His first act on entering the senate, after thirty days' interval, was to order the execution of Chaerea and of Lupus (who, by order of the former, had put to death Caesonia and her child): Sabinus, though exempted from this sentence, committed suicide". All others were embraced under the terms of a general amnesty ; but the assassination of Gaius left lasting effects in the jealous precautions taken to search all visitors to the princeps for hidden arms 7. On the twentieth day of his rule (Feb. 13), his wife, Valeria Messalina, gave birth to a son, afterwards known as Britannicus 8. The first care of the new rule was to remedy the general disorganisation resulting from the late tyranny, to re-establish the constitution on principles professedly agreeing with those of Augustus, and to deal with conditions of disturbance and anarchy in various provinces and vassal kingdoms ". Victories were gained in this year over the Mauri and Maurusii in Libya, and over the Chatti in Germany, from whom the last of the three eagles lost with Varus was recovered 10. The baneful influence of Messalina begins already to exert itself. Julia, daughter of Germanicus, who (with her sister Agrippina) had been recalled from exile by Claudius at the beginning of his rule, excited her 1 See note on 11. I, 2. 2 Suet. (Cl. 10) notes this as the first example of that evil practice (primus Caesarum fidem militis etiam praemio pigneratus'). Of the imperial titles, it is noted that he did not accept that of 'pater patriae' (Dio, 60. 3, 2). It was assumed at the beginning of the following year (see Lehmann, p. 197). He followed Tiberius and Gaius in not using the 'praenomen imperatoris.' See Mommsen, Staatsr. ii. 796. Dio, l. 1. 5 Dio, 60. 3, 4; Jos. Ant. 19. 4, 5. Suet. Cl. 11; Dio, l. 1. 7 See note on II. 22, I. * The measures taken are fully described below (pp. 24 foll.). 10 In Dio, 60. 8, 7, the victory over the Maurusii is ascribed to Galba, that over the Chatti to Gabinius: but Galba was at this time legatus of Upper Germany, and probably gained this victory over the Chatti; Gabinius (who was his successor) is recorded to have gained successes over the Chauci and to have taken a cognomen from them (Suet. Cl. 24). For the recovery of the other eagles, see 1. 60, 4 ; 2. 25, 2. jealousy by her beauty, independence, and intimacy with Claudius, and was attacked on a charge of adultery with Seneca, who was banished to Corsica, Julia being deported to Pandateria, where she was soon afterwards put to death 1. A. U. C. 795, A. D. 42. CLAUDIUS CAESAR II, C. CAECINA The Mauri were further defeated by Suetonius Paulinus, and Mauretania was finally reduced and organised in two provinces by his successor, Cn. Hosidius Geta". 6 Appius Junius Silanus, who had been sent for as a friend from his province in Spain, had given offence to Messalina (to whose mother, Domitia Lepida, he was married), and was put to death at her instigation and that of Narcissus, who worked on the fears of Claudius by a tale of a dream. This murder is represented as the principal cause of a formidable conspiracy set on foot by Annius Vinicianus, and supported by many nobles, especially by Furius Camillus Scribonianus, who as legatus of Delmatia had command of two legions close to the frontier of Italy. Camillus endeavoured to terrify Claudius into abdication by an insulting letter, and professed an intention to restore the Republic 10, but himself aspired to the imperial dignity. The conspiracy collapsed in five days" by the return of the soldiers to their allegiance 12 Camillus was killed 13, and Vinicianus committed suicide 14. A bloody retribution followed; a number of the nobles being brought to trial before the senate in the presence of Claudius; when many senators and knights were tortured, and Messalina and the freedmen are said to have turned the occasion to account by getting those condemned who had offended 1 Dio, 60. 8, 5. On her exile under Gaius, see above, p. 8. That the place of her second exile and death was Pandateria, appears from 14. 63, 2. 2 Claudius laid down the consulship March 1, and was succeeded by Cornelius Lupus (Lehmann, p. 196). 3 On this person, see 11. 33, 3, and note. 4 Dio, 60. 9. Lehmann (p. 256) places the constitution of the province three years later. Its Era is reckoned from the death of its last king in 793, A. D. 40 (Marquardt, Staatsv. P. 324). Dio, 60. 14, 3: cp. 11. 29, 1, and note. For the pedigree of the Junii Silani, see Introd. i. ix. 139. Dio, 1. 1. On this person, see 6. 9, 5, and note. He appears to have been a nephew of 12; them', and screening those who bribed them. The most memorable death was that of Caecina Paetus and Arria his wife 2. A. U. C. 796, A. D. 43. CLAUDIUS CAESAR III3, L. VITELLIUS II, Coss. The great event of this year was the invasion of Britain by the Roman army under A. Plautius Silvanus, who was afterwards joined for sixteen days by Claudius himself *. It was probably also in this year that the dissensions between Gotarzes and Vardanes enabled Mithridates, formerly king of Armenia, to recover that country with the aid of some Roman troops. In this year also Messalina is stated to have caused the death of Justus Catonius, the praef. praetorio (who had intended to give information of her immorality), and Julia, the daughter of Drusus and wife of Rubellius Blandus 8. 6 A. U. C. 797, A. D. 44. C. PASSIENUS CRISPUS II', T. STATILIUS TAURUS 10, Coss. 13 Early in this year Claudius returned from Britain, having been altogether six months absent from Rome, and celebrated his triumph, which governors of provinces and even exiles were allowed to return and witness 11. He also held games in honour of his victory 12. His infant son took the name of Britannicus, and many others received honours and decorations 13. In the same year 1 Macedonia and Achaia were given back to the senate 15; the quaestorial districts in Italy were abolished 16, and quaestors instead of praetors placed over the aerarium "7. M. Iulius Cottius received his father's dominion (the Cottian Alps) with the title of king, and Rhodes was deprived of its freedom for outrage on Roman citizens 18. To this year also belongs the death of King Herodes Agrippa, the partition of his dominions, and the appointment again of a procurator of Judaea 19. 17 1 It is possible that the consulars, Lusius Saturninus and Cornelius Lupus, whose deaths are ascribed to the bidding of Messalina and agency of Suillius (13. 43, 3-5) may have been among this number, as also some of the 'equitum agmina' there alluded to. There is, however, another recorded conspiracy four years later (see below, p. 13). 2 Dio, 60. 15, 6-16, 5. The story of Paetus and Arria is fully told in Plin. Ep. 3. 16 cp. Mart. 1. 14. Claudius was really' suffectus' (Suet. Cl. 14), but the name of his predecessor is lost (Lehm. p. 211). For a full account of this, see below, ch. v. See 11. 8, 1-9, 3. A. U. C. 798, A. D. 45. M. VINICIUS II', T. STATILIUS TAURUS CORVINUS2, Coss. Galba became in this year proconsul of Africa and achieved considerable success there. Claudius is stated to have anticipated and explained an eclipse falling on his birthday. Probably in this year took place the rebellion of Mithridates, king of Bosporus, who was defeated and driven from his kingdom in the following year by A. Didius Gallus, legatus of Moesia ". A. U. C. 799, A. D. 46. P. VALERIUS ASIATICUS II, M. SILANUS, Coss. M. Vinicius, the consul of the preceding year, was poisoned at the instigation of Messalina, who feared that he would take revenge upon her for the murder of his wife Julia 8. Another conspiracy was formed in this year by Asinius Gallus, but proved to be insignificant, whence he escaped with the penalty of exile ". Statilius Corvinus appears to have been joined with him, and the plot is said to have extended to the emperor's freedmen and slaves 1o. A. U. C. 800, A. D. 47. CLAUDIUS CAESAR IV, L. VITELLIUS III, Coss. Early in the year Claudius and Vitellius laid down the consulship, and assumed the office of censor, which had been for some seventy years in abeyance 11. In this year A. Plautius Silvanus returned from Britain 12 and received the rare distinction of an ovation 13. His successor was P. Ostorius Scapula 1. Galba returned to Rome in the same year from Africa 15. It is stated that information was given of another plot, but that no 8 Dio, 60. 27, 4. Dio, 60. 27, 5. Lehmann suggests 10 Suet. Cl. 13. 11 See 11. 13, 1, and note. 13 See 13. 32, 3, and note. |