Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
A New Dynasty - Coggle Diagram
A New Dynasty
The Flavians (69-96 AD)
The Flavians
Second dynasty of the Roman Empire
3 emperors
Vespasian
Titus
Domitian
Known for stabilising the empire following Nero as well as civil war in 69 AD
No divine lineage
Depicted in coinage as mature (succeeded at an older age)
The Colosseum, the Arch of Titus, ad parts of the Forum date to the Flavian dynasty
The Year of the Four Emperors
Tacitus,
Histories
, 1.1
'A period rich in disasters, terrible with battles, torn by civic struggle, horrible even in peace'
'Four emperors fell by the same sword; there were 3 civil wars, more foreign wars, and often at the same time'
Nero
Galba
Otho
Vitellius
Nero had left no heirs
Power vacuum
Strive after his death
Galba
Initially strove for power after Nero (June 68 AD)
Failed to consolidate power
A recurring feature of this year
Armies elsewhere in the empire revolt against him
He is killed, January, 68 AD
Otho is declared emperor
Otho
Declared emperor after Galba's death
Otho's army clashed with that of Vitellius and Otho is defeated (April 69 AD)
Vitellius
Armies on the Rhine revolt and show support for their general, Vitellius
Armies of Otho and Vitellius clash
Otho defeated (April 69 AD)
After coming to power, he fails to secure support in the East
Vespasian, however had proved himself powerful in the East and acclaimed himself emperor
Killed in Rome and succeeded by Vespasian
Vespasian
Had been a strong military general, sent by Nero to crus the Jewish Revolt in Judea, in the East
'Acclaimed emperor' after Vitellius could not support himself in the East
Declared emperor the day following Vitellius' death, while still in Egypt
Importance of this year
Demonstrates the crucial importance of military support for the emperor
Military support as a basis for imperial power and claim to the throne
4 emperors represent the legions of Spain, the Rhine, the East, etc
Violence of the treatment of these people declared emperors
Some of the 4 were declared emperor before even entering Rome
The centrality of the empire becomes less and less after the Julio-Claudians
Vespasian
Success formula
Successful political record
Outstanding military record
Maturity and experience
2 adult sons (Titus and Domitian)
Josephus,
Jewish War
, 7.68
Points to the senate, the people, and the soldiers
Success meant having the support of all 3
'For long before Vespasian appeared, the whole population of Italy was playing him homage in their hearts as if he was already there'
'It was a godsend to have once again an emperor possessing the dignity of mature years and a magnificent record in war'
Constitutional powers compered on Vespasian by the senate
Lex de imperio Vespasiani
Could make a treaty with who he wished just as it was lawful for Augustus, Tiberius, and Germanicus
Could hold a session of the Senate, to make motion and refer a matter
Shall be exempt to the same laws as Augustus, Tiberius, and Germanicus had been exempt to
Connection to the Julio-Claudians / legitimises his power
HOWEVER misses out many Julio-Claudians
Restoration of the state
Suetonius,
Vespasian
, 8.1
'Considered nothing more essential than first to strengthen the state' which was 'almost in ruins ... to adorn [the state]'
Suetonius,
Vespasian
, 16
Criticised 'his love of money ... Increasing the tribute due from the provinces, and in some cases to double the previous amount'
The Jewish tax, 70 AD
Flavian military glory
The Jewish Revolt, Judea, 66-70 AD
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Jewish tax, 70 AD
Titus' Judean triumph, 80 AD
Further expansion into Britain, 77-83 AD
Dacian War, 85/6-88 AD
Construction of permanent fortifications along the frontier
Vespasian's successors: Titus and Domitian
Titus
7 joint consulships with Vespasian
Suetonius,
Titus
, 8
'in these many great calamities [Titus] showed not merely the concern of an emperor, but even a father's surpassing love'
Cassius Dio, 66
'He is regarded as having equalled the long reign of Augustus, since it is maintained that Augustus would never had been loved had he loved a shorter time nor Titus had he lived longer'
Suetonius,
Titus
, 7
'A second Nero'
Domitian
4 suffect consulships, despite being underage
Suetonius,
Domitian
, 3
'Finally he turned the curates into vices'
Sources write of him as a tyrant
BUT no crises during his reign and he was popular among the armies; he was just not popular among the Senate due to 'kingly tendencies'
Suetonius,
Domitian
, 23
On his death: 'The people received the news of his death with indifference ...'
'... the soldiers were greatly grieved ...'
'... The senators on the contrary were so overjoyed ... they passed a decree that his inscriptions should everywhere be erased, and all record of him obliterated'
Mass Entertainment
Roman Amphitheatres
Dominate the Roman city landscape
Resemble in their design modern football/ rugby stadiums
Feature prominently in ancient art and modern media
Usually round --> good view
Sometimes could resemble the shape of theatres (semicircle)
Lots of investment went into amphitheatres
Facilities
Roads lead directly to some venues
Sometimes events would last days --> velarium to protect from the sun
Different sections divided people by status
Amazing acoustics
Underground structures (passages about 55cm wide) --> animals cages kept
Origins
Gladiatorial combat as a part of funerary ritual
Organised by politicians
Earliest amphitheatres found in Pompeii and Campania
In Rome itself, there were no stone amphitheatres initially
The first's built in 39 BC by Taurus, using timber, just as the earliest had been
The collapse of such a structure in the reign of Tiberius led to a major disaster at Fidenae
Failed to lay the foundation in solid ground, rising 50,000 people
the senate passed a decree that no one with a fortune of less than 400,000 sesterces should present a gladiatorial display, and no amphitheatre was to be built expect on the ground of tried solidity
The Colosseum
Could hold 50,000 people (perhaps 5% of Rome's population)
Not the first amphitheatre in the capital nor the provinces
Eg. Chester, Vindonissa, and Caerleon
Common to be next to military establishments as entertainments for soldiers
Trajanic amphitheatre's in provincial cities
Eg. Trier; Xanten
Carmarthen: 91x67m --> huge for a small local community
Dorchester: a Neolithic henge reused as amphitheatre and a place of public execution as late as 1706
Re-enactments of naval battles in artificial lakes
Entertainment
Blood sports
1000th anniversary of Rome
32 elephants, 10 elks, 10 tigers, 60 lions, 30 leopards, 10 hyenas, 1000 gladiators, 6 hippos, and more
Philip presented/ killed all at his secular games
Slaughter of animals on an insane level
Animals used for public executions
Eg. Nero's persecution of Christians
Gladiatorial combat
Not equipped like Roman soldiers
Strange forms of protection and weapons (eg. a trident)
Training facilities for gladiators
Circuses
Fewer circuses
Spread all over the empire but mostly in larger cities
Larger in size
Built for chariot racing
Also used for wild beast hunts gladiatorial combat, etc.
Eg. Circus Maximus
Like gladiators, individuals could become famous
Revolts and Rebellions
Imperial rule and the ideology of peace
Enforces the idea that Augustus' rule had brought peace to Rome
Eg. the Altar of Augustan Peace
Personification of Pax (peace) became an important aspect of imperial self-representation from Augustus onwards
Displayed on coins and monuments
Particularly prominent motive in the Year if the 4 Emperors and for Vespasian
Critical voices of this peace
Seneca,
Letters
, 73.6
'Who spend [the peace they enjoy] in drunkenness, or in lust, or in other vices which it were worth even a war to interrupt'
Peace is won, not given, and the emperors' capacity to win peace is a major element of his capacity to rule (well) --> peace through victory
Monuments
Flavian building programme
Used their victory in the Jewish War in their self-representation in Rome so prominently to:
Showcase their military prowess and claim to rule
Detract from the fact that their rule was established as the result of a civil war
Peace through military domination
Eg. early-c1st AD, colonies in Roman Gaul built triumphal arches with depictions of subdued Gauls on them
Roman victory over the local population
The ideology of Roman peace built on Roman victory and domination is adopted by the people of the Empire
Roman rule through Roman eyes
Tacitus,
Agricola
(ambivalent view on Roman rule)
21
'An honourable rivalry took the place of compulsion
'Step by step they were led to things which dispose to vice, the longe, the bath, the elegant banquet' All this in their ignorance, they called civilisation, when it was but a part of their servitude'
13
'They are reduced to subjection, not as yet to slavery'
The Revolt of Boudicca and the Icon in Roman Britain, 60-61 AD
The Revolt of Arminius and the Cherusci, 9-21 AD
Jewish Revolts against Roman rule, c1st-c2nd AD
6 AD --> Revolt against Rome, led by Judas of Galilee
66-73 AD --> Jewish Revolt
116-118 AD --> Qitos War
115-117 AD --> Diaspora Revolt
132-136 AD --> Bar Kokhba Revolt
Revolts and rebellions through the eyes of the rebels
The
writings of Flavius Josephus
offer the only narrative account of a story and rebellion of a people in the Roman Empire from the inside
Josephus
' works
Bellum Judacium / The Jewish War
7 books
Account of the Jewish Revolt (66 AD)
In Greek
The Jewish Antiquities
20 books
History of the Jewish people
Covers the Biblical period, right up until the Jewish War
Against Apion
2 books
Probably 90s/early c2nd AD
Unoriginal and misleading title
Differences between the Jewish people and their customs against detractors
Vita /Life
Autobiographical account
Greek
90s AD
Explains why he did not commit suicide, allowed himself to be captured, and taken to Rome, switching sides
Portrays it as an act of God
Writing in Rome under the Flavian emperors, who were responsible for the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem
Justifies the Jewish Revolt while praising his patrons
Explains how Jewish people are not barbarians and should be accepted, by framing his narrative in the traditional of Greco-Roman writing
Wishes to reach his Roman audience
Aims to persuade his audience of his argument
Reasons for the Jewish Revolt, in
Josephus
Roman mismanagement in Judea
Internal conflict in Judea, between elites and between different groups/factions of people
Good local leaders trying to persuade the Jewish people to avoid revolt
Bad local leaders connected to treachery and immorality, leading the people astray towards violence and rebellion
What was the aim of such rebels?
An act of gaining independence from Roman rule
BUT the Flavians are blameless
Number of sources, particularly from the East, highlighting opposition to Roman rule