The Julio-Claudian Emperors

by Thomas Wiedemann

'The dark, unrelenting Tiberius, the furious Caligula, the feeble Claudius, the profligate and cruel Nero..are condemned to everlasting Infamy' wrote Gibbon. This 'infamy' has inspired the work of historians and novelists from Roman times to the present.

This book summarises political events during the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero, and the civil wars of the 'year of four emperors'. It considers too the extent to which social factors influenced the imperial household.

Assuming no knowledge of Latin and drawing on material including inscriptions and coins, literary history and the latest historical interpretations, the author presents a coherent account of the often apparently erratic actions of these emperors.

94 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Not Well Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This provided a reasonably informative and factually based account of a period that is so often sensationalised. It takes an era that has been mischaracterised through the mixing of fact and rumour, both in sources and modern understanding, and does its best to separate the two while accounting for both, making for a drier, but more accurate, read than most. Like the late republic, the period still suffers from a large number of bit-players who muddy the narrative (even in an area where one would reasonably expect events to centre around one person), but the text accounts for their roles while maintaining some sense of the larger patterns at play. The author has taken a slightly less ‘ground-up’ approach and seems to assume background knowledge, in contrast to a few of the other books in the series, but for the purposes of most readers covering an already well-known period this should likely prove an appropriate choice.

[Odhran Molloy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read that might add to someone's understanding of the Julio-Claudian line of Emperors but existing knowledge of post-republican Rome is needed.

I believe this book is for an academic audience but that does not excuse the way it is put together. Cursory references to massive events or important individuals with no explanation of why they are being referenced. Narratives being taken up, dropped and/or forgotten in one paragraph, never to be mentioned again. This book assumes a ton of prior knowledge, which is fine but then does not give enough detail to add anything to someone who already has said prior knowledge.