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This is interesting, PP - was he actually given the tribuncia potestas? A maius imperium over the eastern provinces was what Agrippa received in 23 BC - the settlement of 18 BC which gave him trib. pot was much more crucial. I must say, off th etop of my head ( which all this is from) I don't remmeber him receiving the trib. pot. but I could be wrong.

 

No, you are quite right that the sources don't mention him receiving the TP.. and clearly Tiberius still maintained the authoritative edge (his displeasure with Germanicus' visit to Aegyptus as an example), but Germanicus was not a simple consular appointee either. Perhaps a better comparison would be Pompey's command of the east after the passage of the Lex Gabinia.

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But if he was mediocre, what, or who do you use as sources for this claim?

 

Germanicus - I think our posts have crossed. :) But to throw the ball back into your court - I would ask what sources you use to support the fact that he was a great general. Tacitus? We all know that he painted everyone in a good light who was opposed to Tiberius. Suetonius? He merely echoed his popularity with the uneducated mob. I will admit that my 'sources' are more a modern interpretation of the ancients - Syme, Grant, Seager et al. who have sifted the primary sources and formed a less than favourable picture of this great 'godling'.

 

What evidence is there that he was not a fine General who had no aspirations to become the next Emperor.

 

What gains did he make? I will readily admit that he wanted to become the next emperor - that was the trouble. How do you defend a hysteric who, on falling ill, announces to all and sundry that he is the victim of witchcraft and poison? A drama queen if ever there was one! And let us not forget his foray into Egypt. Since the earliest days of Augustus' annexation of the province, Egypt had become the emperor's private property if you will. All generals - regardless of their rank or relation to the imperial family - had to have permission from the emperor to enter the province. Germanicus considered himself above such rules and therefore incurred Tiberius' suspicion. As a member of the imperial family he should have known how provocative this was. If this was the action of someone who could count on the legions of the empire to back him, he grossly miscalculated. Not only this - Piso was used as scapegoat to appease the people who had lost their darling. Due to the unfavourable picture of Tiberius painted by Tacitus, Germanicus has been lauded by far and away above what he deserves.

 

 

 

 

 

Well, Augusta, I take it you're not much of a fan of Germanicus? :lol: .

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Well, Augusta, I take it you're not much of a fan of Germanicus? :lol: .

 

Indeed I am not, nor have I ever been. I am, however, a fan of his father, Drusus. I often think that Germanicus was too much influenced by Agrippina.

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Yes, now you come to mention it, he was :lol: .

 

Yes, I think his theatricals at the Rhine mutiny on the death of Augustus show a distinct trace of her hand at work. :)

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For purposes of the Germanicus discussion here are the contents of the 'Tabula Siarensis' discovered in 1982 in southern Spain. It contains Senatorial decrees and comments on the death of Germanicus, including the discussion of establishing arches in his honor. I believe one of the arches was discovered only a few years later near the Rhine.

 

Tabula Siarensis

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For purposes of the Germanicus discussion here are the contents of the 'Tabula Siarensis' discovered in 1982 in southern Spain. It contains Senatorial decrees and comments on the death of Germanicus, including the discussion of establishing arches in his honor. I believe one of the arches was discovered only a few years later near the Rhine.

 

Tabula Siarensis

 

Thanks for this link, Virgil. Fascinating stuff. It certainly shows how prodigal the Romans could be in their praise of members of the Imperial family. Interesting stuff too about sacrificing to the 'manes of Gaius and Lucius Caesar'. And does this not prove the point that the Senate had become, by this time, a fawning shadow of its former self?

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