Introduction

Last week, we followed the aborted career of Germanicus who died under mysterious circumstances in 19 AD. Tiberius was widely believed to have played a role in the death of the popular young Prince and the Emperor's popularity with the people suffered as a result. The Praetorian Guard had existed in various incarnations back to the 200s BC but were generally understood to be little more than an elite cohort of soldiers served by a general. This week, I'm going to recommend picking up sweet Onias's lives of the 12 Caesars or volume one of tasks, citizens, andals of Imperial Rome.