#tiberius

[just-late-roman-republic-things]

Seriously though, I think Augustus just did not get why Tiberius didn't like politics. Augustus was a gregarious workaholic who tried to take over the world when he was 18, bullied politicians twice his age, and never fucking let go. Tiberius was...probably a pretty ordinary, if socially awkward and introverted kid? I picture Augustus reading the "Please let me retire after fighting 19 years of war" letter with as much comprehension as if Tiberius had said he was remarrying a cucumber.

[stumblngrumbl]

[catboymoments]

did some quick colors for Tiberius yayyy!! Fluffy thang SPOTTED. Their vibe/shape based off of a wild hog !!

(He/they/she)

[cringechy]

Imagine you can hold Baldwin 🥰

[ourbastardofsorrows]

he could be your angle… or your devil

[cesareeborgia]

↳ family trees + Julio-Claudian dynasty (limited to the main figures)

requested by anonymous

[vildo]

Jim’s safe word is pon too farr in case anyone’s wondering

[illustratus]

Head of Odysseus

Found at the Villa of Tiberius in Sperlonga, Italy

[lionofchaeronea]

Dupondius of the Roman emperor Tiberius (r. 14-37 CE), minted in 34-35. On the obverse, the bust of Tiberius, crowned with laurel; Tiberius here styles himself DIVI AUG(USTI) F(ILIUS)="Son of the deified Augustus". On the reverse, a male portrait bust within a shield-ring, surrounded by the inscription CLEMENTIAE S(ENATUS) C(ONSULTO). This may be a reference to the shield voted to Augustus by the Senate in 27 BCE, which bore the inscribed virtues of virtus, clementia, iustitia, and pietas. Following the lead of Julius Caesar, Augustus and his successors stressed clementia as a characteristic trait of the emperor, who had it in his power to extend mercy to defeated enemies. In this case, there is a certain irony to the imagery, as Tiberius' last years were marked by many trials and condemnations for offenses against the imperial maiestas at the behest of informers.

[ponku-po]

The Night Will Last Forever - paipaishuaige

[just-late-roman-republic-things]

Hi! This is a what if scenario but I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you think if Tiberius never divorced his first wife, he would live a happier life? Also if one of Julia’s sons were emperor instead?

Honestly, I think any change to the historical Tiberius' life has an 80% chance of improving it. His story is one trauma after another, combined with grief, being stuck with a job he hated, and what looks like depression, anxiety, and/or some sort of neurodivergence. It doesn't surprise me that he tried to retire several times, and I'm impressed that he didn't snap sooner.

Of course, that doesn't justify how many people he hurt when he did lash out. He ended up as a cruel, paranoid, and deeply lonely old man. But he didn't start out that way, and in any other position I think he would've been a better, and happier man.

From one of my previous posts:

Augustus: Good work killing the Germans, your next posting will be - Tiberius: I’d really rather just read books at the library in Rhodes. Augustus: Rhodes? What, are the Parthians plotting to invade again? Tiberius: No, I’m 36 and you’ve been making me fight court cases, corruption and wars since I was 17, you made me divorce the wife I still love and miss, my new wife’s adultery has made me a public laughingstock, I want to retire. Augustus: You know what you need? A new army in Syria. It’ll be great practice for when you’re emperor. Tiberius: How do I make it clearer that I do not like politics??? Augustus: I don’t understand the question.

I don't entirely blame Augustus, either. He does seem to have intended for one of Julia's sons to succeed him, and only settled on Tiberius after every other viable successor died young.* And all his meddling in his relatives' lives was supposed to ensure a stable succession, and prevent another civil war. (And it worked!) He probably thought he was doing what was right for the sake of the Roman people, but it came at a terrible cost.

(*I'm not counting Agrippa Postumus as viable; for whatever reason, Augustus disowned him.)

It's not hard to imagine a slightly luckier world. One where Marcellus succeeded Augustus, or Agrippa had lived longer, so Tiberius never got so burned out and never had to divorce Agrippina. Or where his brother Drusus, or Gaius or Lucius Caesar took over instead. Tiberius would've probably made a fine senior advisor.

But that's not the world he got. The very nature of autocracy put enormous pressure on the Julio-Claudian family and eventually tore them apart. Even for the people at the very top, I think autocracies are cruel and unfair.

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

[glowing-starlight]

Men of I, Claudius(1976)  

[wolframpant]

Domina characters and their busts

[stumblngrumbl]

nothing suspicious here

nobody planning a murder

no conspiracy

[gaiuscaligulasuggestions]

I know Caligula is THE famous nickname but the fact that Tiberius was called (Claudius Nero) Biberius Caldius Mero because of his drinking habit is hilarious.

It roughly means "drunk-loving hot with wine"