Tacitus' Histories and Germanicus

In this lecture, Dr Chris Whitton (University of Cambridge) introduces the figure of Tiberius’ adoptive son, Germanicus, focusing in particular on: (i) the shape of the Empire in the early 1st century AD and Germanicus’ position in the Julio-Claudian dynasty; (ii) Tacitus’ presentation of Germanicus as a romantic hero; (iii) the darker side of Germanicus’ career, including his massacre of rebel soldiers in Germany and his transgressive behaviour in Egypt; and (v) the importance of Tiberius’ (natural) son, Drusus, and the hostility between Tiberius and Germanicus.

This lecture is part of a larger course on Germanicus and Piso. The full course can be found here: https://www.massolit.io/courses/tacit...

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