Sex in the City-the Roman Empire

In the early first century AD, the Roman Empire was subject to autocratic rule and the old Republic was long dead. Augustus had been ruling for forty years and most of that time he was loved and praised by the Senate and the people of Rome. Throughout his reign, Augustus had the one lingering problem of finding a successor to take over the role of Emperor. He had chosen 3 different heirs in his time of rule; however, they all passed before they had the chance to inherit Augustus’ esteemed power. His fourth choice, Tiberius, was the one to succeed Augustus. He was often referred to, by Augustus, as an outstanding general and the only one capable of defending Rome against her enemies. The statement, ‘Tiberius is condemned by many ancient

When Augustus was born he was very lucky because according to Augustus: the Life of Rome’s First Emperor

Everyone knows of Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor. There is a whole month named after him. Augustus was a great leader favored by the people and by neighboring countries. But most people don’t know that he also banished his daughter and granddaughter, that his potential heirs kept mysteriously dying, and that he was extremely egotistical. Even though he expanded his empire more than any other leader had before and reformed the entire government of Rome, he still had many pitfalls that kept him from being a perfect leader.

Suetonius offers a wider treatment of Tiberius than Tacitus, at first him presenting him in a much lesser hostile light and then increasing his disapproval as his account unfolds. Tacitus however seems to be disapproving throughout with short sports of approval filtering in when Tiberius has acted in a way beneficial to the Roman public. However, Suetonius is very similar in some ways especially his great disapproval of Tiberius displaying him as a sexual nymphomaniac (Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars 43.1). In Tacitus, the engaged nobility comes through with an outpouring of condemnation against Tiberius for his atrocities as Emperor and angrily depicts a man who can role-play depending on whom he is addressing and whom is so disliked by the public that they hurl insults at him near death.

Tiberius was 55 when he ruled Rome from his stepfather. Tiberius had turned his back to Rome after Augustus had died. Moved to Capri still ruling Rome and abused the people there. Tiberius died right before they crucified Jesus. Tiberius really did start to abuse his powers and his people and was totally different than Augustus. Tiberius died of natural

Just like Augustus, Tiberius assisted in the political developments of the empire, which contributed to both the continuity and change in the Julio-Claudian period. He had regularly attended the senate which caused him to bring great significance of political debate. As his reign progressed, Tiberius became increasingly frustrated with the senate. He became so annoyed that he commended that they were ‘men fit to be slaves.’ Levick notes that “the senate, functioning as a court, was being exploited by rival factions…and incapable of operating as a serious deliberative body.” (Levick, Tiberius, p. 113). This led to Tiberius’s escape from Rome to settle on Capri in AD 26 as he didn’t want the responsibility of emperorship anymore. This had a significant impact on Rome as the centre of government changed, with Sejanus rise in the provinces.

Much has been written about Tiberius in both modern and ancient sources, although some are divided on his motives while others strive for his selflessness. Orosius, an ancient source concerning the Roman Republic stated that Tiberius was “angry with the nobility because of the Numantine Treaty, decided that the land possessed hither to by private individuals, should be divided amongst the people,” and this caused him to reform against the Senate (Bishop, 1988). There are a trio of vital ancient sources reliable on the breakdown of the Republic. Cicero, Appian and Plutarch. Cicero is one of the few that actually lived during and participated in the events he comments on, so was

Tiberius, who served as emperor from 14 to 37 AD, began his rule after the death of his father-in-law, Augustus. Tiberius was a weak ruler, and he understood that ruling Rome was like “holding a wolf by the ears.” When conflict arose in Europe, Tiberius sent his nephew, Germanicus, to deal with it. Germanicus did his job, and this resulted in Tiberius fearing the newest war-hero. To avoid the issue, Germanicus was appointed governor of the remote eastern provinces by his uncle. After the sudden death of Germanicus, people believed that Tiberius had poisoned him. He denied this, but the accusations never died. When he was in need of advice, Tiberius sought the assistance of Sejanus, a cavalry officer and town cheat. Tiberius sought the

The powerful, spoilt, wealthy Roman Emperors inevitably became corrupt and many lived a debauched, deluded and immoral lifestyle. Massive consumption of alcohol. The emperor had power over life and death. Brothels and forced prostitution flourished. The sadistic cruelty towards both man and beasts in the arena. Emperors such as Tiberius kept groups of young boys for his pleasure, incest by Nero who also had a male slave castrated so he could take him as his wife, Elagabalus who forced a Vestal Virgin through marriage, Commodus with his harems of concubines enraged Romans by sitting in the theatre or at the games dressed in a woman 's garments. Religious festivals such as Saturnalia and Bacchanalia where sacrifices, ribald songs, lewd acts and sexual promiscuity were practised. Immoral and promiscuous sexual behaviour including adultery and orgies. The

Caligula- was a roman emperor. Caligula was a nickname of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germaniucs. Caligula was assassinated by a member of his security, and the Roman Senate. Although during his time he had many innocent people killed with out having a fair trial. But even though Caligula had many people killed he was still popular during his time.

One of the oldest beverages known to man is wine, an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes. Wine has been enjoyed all around the world and Ancient Rome is no exception. Ancient Rome played an important role in its history. Wine carried religious, philosophical, and social implications for the Romans as it was a part of their daily life. The popularity of wine and drunkenness in Ancient Rome is clearly portrayed throughout poetry, art, literature and even laws. Although wine was eventually available to all, it’s implications for women were severe. An important connection between Ancient Rome and wine that is rarely discussed is the idea of denying women a right to drink. Today, it is not uncommon or distasteful for women to have a glass of wine but in Roman society, women’s overindulgence of wine was frowned upon. This paper will discuss women in Ancient Roman society and analyze sources from Valerius Maximus and Propertius to focus on how the role of wine reinforced the patriarchal system and oppression of women.

Octavian’s family begged him to stay where he was and renounce his inheritance because they thought the assassins of Caesar were very strong. Octavian did not take his families advice, and in a tremendously daring act he announced that he was going to Rome to claim what was his and avenge Caesar’s death. Instead he went directly to Brundisium and gathered the large amount of troops located there. To make sure that people knew who he was, he called himself “Caesar.” This identified him fully with his adoptive father, and gave him legitimacy. He switched from the unknown Octavian to Caesar, or son of Caesar. Because of this, many of the soldiers from Brundisium joined his cause, and the army grew in size and skill. Octavian tried to make friends with the leaders of the Roman army, but Mark Antony and Lepidus opposed Octavian’s claim to power

During the time period of the early Roman Empire, and through the early times of Octavian, it is important to note the roles that each sex played. Unlike current western culture, men and women were not equal. Each sex was thought of differently, with women being less than men. According to Severy, the Romans thought of the Roman women as “weakness, instability, and irrationality” (Severy 23). These viewpoints of women lead to women being treated in way that was subservient to men. According to Severy, in contrast, the Romans thought of men as “strength, integrity, and self-control” (Severy 23). This thought process lead to men being in positions of power and control and ultimately the decision makers. This was so much the case that women had to have a male guardian to go out with them during major purchases to verify that was what was supposed to be bought at points (Severy 23). This thought process bled into the

Gaius Octavius, better known to historians as Augustus, succeeded his great uncle Julius Caesar following his assassination. In his wake, Augustus would become the first Emperor of the newly formed Roman Empire and bring massive, sweeping revisions to Roman law as well as centralize the government, military and economic currency of the Empire. He also reemphasized the importance of art, music and literature in Roman culture, bringing about a new era of historically important artists, poets, sculptors, scribes and philosophers. While the beginnings

Julius Caesar, a man born in around 12 to 13, 100 BC, was considered the start of a new legacy in the history of Rome. Participating in several wars, becoming dictator after forming multiple military alliances, to being assassinated on the Ides of March, Julius Caesar was a politically-flexible, popular leader of the Roman Empire. (Julius Caesar Biography, April 23, 2014) Although Caesar’s birth was never confirmed on the exact date, he was born and raised by his mother, Aurelia, and by his father, Gaius Julius Caesar. (Julius Caesar: Historical Background, April 23, 2014)