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PDF hosted at the Radboud Repository of the Radboud University Nijmegen The following full text is a publisher's version. For additional information about this publication click this link. http://repository.ubn.ru.nl/handle/2066/127811 Please be advised that this information was generated on 2021-09-23 and may be subject to change. ConteSted SuCCeSSionS The Transmission of Imperial Power in Tacitus’ Histories and Annals Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen op gezag van de rector magnificus prof. mr. S.C.J.J. Kortmann, volgens besluit van het college van decanen in het openbaar te verdedigen op maandag 7 juli 2014 om 12.30 uur precies door Ylva Klaassen geboren op 13 november 1984 te Leiden Proefschrift_Ylva.indd 1 30-04-14 10:52 Promotor Prof. dr. o.J. Hekster Copromotoren dr. B.M.C. Breij dr. R. Ash (Merton College, oxford university) Manuscriptcommissie Prof. dr. M.G.M. van der Poel (voorzitter) Prof. dr. C. damon (university of Pennsylvania) dr. L. Foubert Ylva Klaassen, 2014 Illustratie op omslag Giovanni Battista Piranesi, ‘Veduta di Campo Vaccino’, Vedute di Roma (1772) (Foto door René Seindal: sights.seindal.dk/photo/10090,s873f.html) ISBN/EAN 978-94-6108-651-8 Vormgeving Sabine van der Wiel – Gember ontwerp www.gember-ontwerp.nl Druk Gildeprint drukkerijen – enschede, the netherlands Dit boek is gedrukt op FSC-gecertificeerd papier Proefschrift_Ylva.indd 2 30-04-14 10:52 Proefschrift_Ylva.indd 3 30-04-14 10:52 Acknowledgements Many people and institutions have contributed to the conception and realization of this thesis; whilst i cannot mention every one of them here by name, i am deeply thankful to them all for their help. the research for this thesis was funded by the netherlands organisation for Scientific Research (nWo) and facilitated by the Radboud university nijmegen, its Graduate School for the Humanities (GSH) and the eu’s Lifelong Learning Programme. the national Research School in Classical Studies in the netherlands, oiKoS, offered me the opportunity to meet fellow researchers, to present my work, and to learn more about the ancient world. Merton College and the Faculty of Classics at the university of oxford kindly of- fered me their hospitality on various occasions. this research project was part of the nWo-funded project emperors and Ancestors: the Creation of an imperial image, overseen by prof. olivier Hekster; i would like to thank Liesbeth Claes, nathalie de Haan, erika Manders and daniëlle Slootjes, with whom it has been a true pleasure to work. in writing this thesis, i have been fortunate to have the best and most dedicated team of supervisors that anyone could ever wish for: oliver Hekster, whose sharp insight, open(minded)ness, and belief in me and my work motivated me to formu- late my own ideas and opinions; Bé Breij, whose enthusiasm, attention to detail, and extraordinary ability to encourage new ideas were a constant source of help and inspiration; and Rhiannon Ash, whose profound knowledge of tacitus, expertise in the field of Roman literature, and numerous insightful suggestions proved invalua- ble in developing this thesis. olivier, Bé and Rhiannon, i could not have written this dissertation without your guidance, learning and support – thank you. the development of my ideas and reseach benefitted greatly from the stimu- 4 5 Proefschrift_Ylva.indd 4 30-04-14 10:52 lating discussions that i had with various scholars, whom i gratefully acknowledge here: Bram ten Berge, Leen van Broeck, Simon day, Lien Foubert, Coen van Galen, Ruurd nauta, Chris Pelling, Luke Pitcher, Kelly Shannon, Andrew Stiles, Jan Wasz- ink, the attendants of the Classics Graduate Work in Progress Seminars at oxford, as well as the participants in several oiKoS seminars. i would like to express par- ticular gratitude to Katherine Clarke, whose curiosity and warm enthusiasm for my work greatly inspired me, and to Marco van der Schuur, for our many thought-pro- voking and enjoyable conversations on Roman literature. nelleke Haverkate, Raphaël Hunsucker, erika Manders, daniëlle Slootjes and Claire Stocks read parts of this dissertation and significantly improved upon its texts and arguments; i am grateful for their insightful remarks. So too am i much indebted to Simon Malloch and Christopher Whitton, as well as to Bettina Reitz and Kelly Shannon, for allow- ing me to read parts of their unpublished work. Bart Hekkert and Lisette de Jong assisted me by counting kin terms; Vincent Hunink presented me with a copy of his impressive translation of the Histories, and the Leiden university Library lending desk provided assistance in several book-related matters. Special thanks must be offered to Sabine van der Wiel of Gember ontwerp, who took care of the beautiful layout of this book. Warm thanks are due, too, for the inspiring teaching of Frits naerebout, Herman Paul and Rens tacoma, which motivated me to study for a Phd. My colleagues at the departments of History and Classics have been an exceptional source of encour- agement, distraction and happiness; lack of space prevents me from naming them individually, but i would like to address a huge ‘thank you’ to all of them for mak- ing my time at the Radboud university both fruitful and rewarding. in addition i would like to thank Roald dijkstra and André Lardinois, with whom i worked in the oiKoS office, as well as my fellow board members Anoek, neele, Sten and Anne at the Phd organization nijmegen (Pon). Also, my fellow oiKoS Phd students, who enlivened many a seminar. Without the love and trust of my friends and relatives, writing this thesis would have been infinitely more difficult, and a lot less enjoyable. My family has always believed in me and supported me in every possible way, and i cannot thank them enough for that. i am happily grateful to Lennert, for being there at exactly the right moment(s) to cheer me up and calm me down. My last words of thanks are re- served for the three girls who have been a cherished presence in my Phd life right from the start, and whose friendship and day-to-day encouragement made all the difference. dankjewel, Soem, Sanne, and nelleke. 4 5 Proefschrift_Ylva.indd 5 30-04-14 10:52 Table of contents intRoduCTION 11 1. Galba 43 Introduction 44 1.1 | The background of the adoption 48 1.1.1 the opening of the Histories 48 The significance of the starting point 48 The prologue to the work (1.1-3): civil war 53 1.1.2 the survey: status urbis (1.4-11) and mens exercituum (1.8-11) 57 1.1.3 the situation at the start of the narration 67 Comparison with the parallel sources 68 1.2 | Galba’s new system of imperial succession 73 1.2.1 the decision to adopt (1.12-14) 73 The centrality of the adoption episode 73 The immediate reason for the adoption (1.12) 76 The consilium eligendi successoris and the comitia imperii (1.13-14) 78 1.2.2 Galba’s speech in front of his council (1.15-16) 83 Speeches in Tacitus’ historical works 83 Galba’s speech 85 1.2.3 the aftermath of the adoption (1.17-1.49) 94 Piso’s response (1.17) 94 6 7 Proefschrift_Ylva.indd 6 30-04-14 10:52 The announcements of the adoption (1.17-19) 95 Otho’s usurpation 99 1.3 | The choice of a successor 102 1.3.1 the candidates for the succession 102 1.3.2 the imperial successor: Piso 105 Galba’s reasons for choosing Piso 105 Piso’s characterization 106 1.3.3 the obvious candidate: otho 111 Otho’s characterization 111 Otho and Nero 118 1.3.4 the consequences of Galba’s criteria 119 1.4 | Contextualizing the adoption 123 1.4.1 the adoption in the parallel sources 123 Dio and Suetonius 123 Plutarch 125 1.4.2 Framing the adoption: Galba’s characterization 127 Old age and weakness 127 Misunderstanding and anachronism 133 Failure to live up to his own ideals 135 The final verdict: Tacitus’ characterization of Galba 138 1.4.3 Contemporary echoes: Pliny’s Panegyricus 140 Conclusion 144 2. tiBeRius 153 Introduction 154 2.1 | Dynastic tendencies in imperial succession 157 2.1.1 the Principate as hereditary monarchy 157 The starting point of the Annals 157 Augustus’ subsidia dominationi (1.3-4) 160 2.1.2 dynastic expectations in the succession to tiberius 163 Drusus, Germanicus and their children 163 6 7 Proefschrift_Ylva.indd 7 30-04-14 10:52 The Tiberian evidence 168 2.1.3 evocations of dynastic strife and civil war 172 Monarchy and intra-familial conflicts 173 The succession and civil war 176 2.2 | Tiberius’ successors: Germanicus and Drusus 179 2.2.1 Germanicus and drusus as equal successors 179 The parallel representation of Drusus and Germanicus 180 Parallel inequalities 183 2.2.2 the opposition between (the houses of) drusus and Germanicus 185 2.2.3 the prominence of Germanicus 189 Narrative prominence 190 Germanicus in other sources 194 2.2.4 Germanicus’ threatening connotations 196 2.3 | Criteria for succession 203 2.3.1 tiberius as successor to Augustus 203 Augustus’ choice of Tiberius as his successor 204 The characterization of Tiberius 213 2.3.2 Germanicus’ unjustified popularity 217 Germanicus’ widespread popularity and his characterization 217 Germanicus’ idealized incompetence 220 2.3.3 drusus’ second place 225 Drusus’ character 225 Drusus’ achievements in the narrative 228 2.3.4 the invisible successors: tiberius Gemellus, Caligula, and Claudius 230 2.3.5 the non-dynastic alternative: the capaces imperii of 1.13 236 2.4 | Kinship 243 2.4.1 Kinship by blood and through adoption 243 Kinship relations and kin terms 244 The values of consanguinity and adoption 248 2.4.2 the blood-ties of Germanicus and his family 250 2.4.3 the consanguineous connections of tiberius, drusus the Younger and Livilla 255 2.4.4 Kinship and legitimacy: challenges to tiberius’ position 259 8 9 Proefschrift_Ylva.indd 8 30-04-14 10:52 Conclusion 265 3.