Written in 1934, 'I, Claudius' is a historical novel by Robert Graves that follows the life of Roman Emperor Claudius. The narrative is presented as Claudius' autobiography, detailing the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty from Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC to Caligula's assassination in AD 41. The book includes the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and Caligula, and is known for its historical accuracy and fictionalized accounts drawn from Roman historians like Suetonius and Tacitus. Claudius, portrayed as a historian and scholar, documents the intrigues, betrayals, and violence within the imperial family, while also reflecting on his own survival and eventual rise to the throne.
Suetonius's "The Twelve Caesars" offers a gossipy and detailed account of the first twelve Roman emperors, known for its scandalous anecdotes and insights into their personalities.
Written in Ancient Greek, 'Roman History' by Cassius Dio spans 80 volumes, although many have survived only in fragments or through later summaries by authors such as Zonaras and John Xiphilinus. The work covers the founding of Rome, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire up until the reign of Alexander Severus. Dio's official duties and extensive research make his work a vital source for Roman history, particularly for the late Republic and early Empire periods.
This volume provides a detailed analysis of Cassius Dio's account of the Tiberian principate, offering insights into Dio's historiographical approach and the mechanics of imperial government during that period. The work includes a general introduction to Cassius Dio's historical methodology and is accompanied by appendices discussing key historical problems related to Tiberius' reign.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Roman emperor Tiberius. When he was born in 42BC, there was little prospect of him ever becoming Emperor of Rome. Firstly, Rome was still a Republic and there had not yet been any Emperor so that had to change and, secondly, when his stepfather Augustus became Emperor there was no precedent for who should succeed him, if anyone. It somehow fell to Tiberius to develop this Roman imperial project and by some accounts he did this well, while to others his reign was marked by cruelty and paranoia inviting comparison with Nero.
With
Matthew Nicholls
Senior Tutor at St. John’s College, University of Oxford
Shushma Malik
Assistant Professor of Classics and Onassis Classics Fellow at Newnham College at the University of Cambridge
And
Catherine Steel
Professor of Classics at the University of Glasgow
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list:
Edward Champlin, ‘Tiberius the Wise’ (Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, 57.4, 2008)
Alison E. Cooley, ‘From the Augustan Principate to the invention of the Age of Augustus’ (Journal of Roman Studies 109, 2019)
Alison E. Cooley, The Senatus Consultum de Cn. Pisone Patre: text, translation, and commentary (Cambridge University Press, 2023)
Eleanor Cowan, ‘Tiberius and Augustus in Tiberian Sources’ (Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, 58.4, 2009)
Cassius Dio (trans. C. T. Mallan), Roman History: Books 57 and 58: The Reign of Tiberius (Oxford University Press, 2020)
Rebecca Edwards, ‘Tacitus, Tiberius and Capri’ (Latomus, 70.4, 2011)
A. Gibson (ed.), The Julio-Claudian Succession: Reality and Perception of the Augustan Model (Brill, 2012), especially ‘Tiberius and the invention of succession’ by C. Vout
Josephus (trans. E. Mary Smallwood and G. Williamson), The Jewish War (Penguin Classics, 1981)
Barbara Levick, Tiberius the Politician (Routledge, 1999)
E. O’Gorman, Tacitus’ History of Political Effective Speech: Truth to Power (Bloomsbury, 2019)
Velleius Paterculus (trans. J. C. Yardley and Anthony A. Barrett), Roman History: From Romulus and the Foundation of Rome to the Reign of the Emperor Tiberius (Hackett Publishing, 2011)
R. Seager, Tiberius (2nd ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 2005)
David Shotter, Tiberius Caesar (Routledge, 2005)
Suetonius (trans. Robert Graves), The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics, 2007)
Tacitus (trans. Michael Grant), The Annals of Imperial Rome (Penguin Classics, 2003)
In Our Time 
