Military Success Flashcards
(15 cards)
Why was military success needed for legitimacy?
Conquest made emperors seem powerful
This is highlighted by the phrase “acclaimed imperator 21 times” from Res Gestae 4.1.
Who was noted as a very successful commander and soldier? [Tacitus]
Tiberius
What did Gaius claim after his failed attempt to conquer Britain? [Cassius Dio]
He claimed to have conquered Neptune by taking seashells
What does the denarius from 37AD signify?
Links Gaius to Germanicus and his military glory
Important because Gaius had never held office or a military command.
What did Suetonius say about Britain in relation to Claudius’ military triumph?
“Britain was the country where a real triumph could be most readily earned”
Why did Claudius extend the Pomerium in 49AD? [Tacitus]
He had expanded the empire, giving him the right to do so
Referenced in Tacitus, Annals, 12.23.
How was Claudius’ invasion of Britain characterized? [Suetonius]
It wasn’t really needed and was “of no great importance”
What title did the Senate confer upon Claudius? [Cassius Dio]
“voted him the title Britannicus”
What does the aureus of Nero’s triumphal arch commemorate?
Corbulo’s success in Armenia
This was noted on the Sestersius of Nero from 64AD.
Is military success mandatory for power?
No, as evidenced by Gaius lacking it and Nero’s triumph
Suetonius states that the Senate “immediately and unanimously conferred absolute power upon him.” [Gaius]
What did Gaius celebrate regarding military success?
The military success of his relative, Germanicus
This is seen in the denarius of 37AD.
How did military triumphs increase popular support?
Plebs liked triumphs, which only the imperial family could have
Highlighted by Virgil’s statement: “Caesar was riding in triple triumph” [Aeneid]
What was the public’s reaction to Augustus’ triumph? [Cassius Dio]
“accepted his triumph with pleasure, as though the enemies he had conquered had all been foreigners”
Who was the last non-imperial person to receive a triumph? [Tacitus]
Blaesus in 23AD
What did Nero celebrate as a ‘triumph’? [Dio Cassius]
His successes in musical contests in Greece
