spittle Posted November 1, 2006 Report Share Posted November 1, 2006 I would be very grateful if anyone could advise me on any book/info regarding the Praetorian Prefect of Nero's reign, Tigellinus. Despite the BBCs recent docudrama Ancient Rome being very poor it has left me with a desire to know more about this ambitious soldier. Specifically to compare him to Sejanus and to start learning a little about the Praetorian guard and the men within it who relied on merit, rather than family connection, to win considerable influence and power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted November 1, 2006 Report Share Posted November 1, 2006 Back to the 'dumbing down' debate. Its a plague infecting television, books....what next? But, to slightly expand my original question, where can I read more on Nero's Praetorian Prefect, Tiggelinus? (I am unsure of the spelling so please accept my apologies for any mistakes). Tigellinus can be found especially among the writings of Tacitus. He is first mentioned in Tacitus Annals book 14 and plays a prominent role in book 15 and book 16. In the histories book 1 there is one single yet informative paragraph... Then followed as great a burst of joy, though from a less worthy cause, when the destruction of Tigellinus was achieved. Sophonius Tigellinus, a man of obscure birth, steeped in infamy from his boyhood, and shamelessly profligate in his old age, finding vice to be his quickest road to such offices as the command of the watch and of the Praetorian Guard, and to other distinctions due to merit, went on to practise cruelty, rapacity, and all the crimes of maturer years. He perverted Nero to every kind of atrocity; he even ventured on some acts without the Emperor's knowledge, and ended by deserting and betraying him. Hence there was no criminal, whose doom was from opposite motives more importunately demanded, as well by those who hated Nero, as by those who regretted him. During the reign of Galba Tigellinus had been screened by the influence of Vinius, who alleged that he had saved his daughter. And doubtless he had preserved her life, not indeed out of mercy, when he had murdered so many, but to secure for himself a refuge for the future. For all the greatest villains, distrusting the present, and dreading change, look for private friendship to shelter them from public detestation, caring not to be free from guilt, but only to ensure their turn in impunity. This enraged the people more than ever, the recent unpopularity of Vinius being superadded to their old hatred against Tigellinus. They rushed from every part of the city into the palace and forum, and bursting into the circus and theatre, where the mob enjoy a special license, broke out into seditious clamours. At length Tigellinus, having received at the springs of Sinuessa a message that his last hour was come, amid the embraces and caresses of his mistresses and other unseemly delays, cut his throat with a razor, and aggravated the disgrace of an infamous life by a tardy and ignominious death. Strangely enough, Suetonius doesn't even mention him until his biography of Galba... well after Tigellinus' influence had waned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil25 Posted November 1, 2006 Report Share Posted November 1, 2006 I know when I was reading up on Nero's reign some years ago, I had to piece together Tigellinus role, career and influence from various sources. As I recall, I found him hard to fathom. Not a career soldier, I think, but a "political" appointment as Prefect. I saw him as a sort of Thomas Cromwell - Minister to Henry VIII - useful, a "Mr Fix-it", not too scrupulous, even devious, clever. But what his precise talents or abilities were, I was never able to determine. Certainly NOT the figure portrayed in the Ustinov "Quo Vadis film! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spittle Posted November 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2006 (edited) Primus Pilus. Who did you quote below? The sentence I have repeated, though of ancient origin, could have been spoken in a court of law yesterday with equal relevence to our own age. Profound. "...For all the greatest villains, distrusting the present and dreading change, look for private friendship to shelter them from public detestation" Some things never change. It seems that corruption and the methods of escaping justice through connections to leaders of the establishment are as old as civilisation. Phil. Quo Vadis. I have never seen this film. My interest in Tigellinus stems from the recent BBC doc's. Its the only thing where he has played a role (in my very limited experience) as I am reading late republic (Caesar) material and have not yet reached the Empire stage of Roman history. However, I am drawn to the characters of Sejanus and Tigellinus in a similar way as I was drawn to Walsingham, Dudley and the Cecil's whilst reading Tudor history. I cannot pinpoint exactly why such characters fascinate me but I suspect its because they were not born to certain greatness but took it for themselves. Legal gangsters in a fashion? Edited for spelling. Edited November 2, 2006 by spittle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted November 2, 2006 Report Share Posted November 2, 2006 Primus Pilus. Who did you quote below? The sentence I have repeated, though of ancient origin, could have been spoken in a court of law yesterday with equal relevence to our own age. Profound. "...For all the greatest villains, distrusting the present and dreading change, look for private friendship to shelter them from public detestation" Some things never change. It seems that corruption and the methods of escaping justice through connections to leaders of the establishment are as old as civilisation. It's Tacitus "Histories" Book 1.72 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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