Classical Wisdom Litterae - May 2020

influence appeared to be waxing in Rome, hidden away in his island cave, T i b e r i u s ’ s i n flu e n c e appeared to be on the wane. In Lives of the Twelve Caesars , Suetonius reports that after Agrippina and her two eldest sons were condemned, Tiberius lived in such a heightened state of paranoia that “he never removed to any place but in fetters and in a covered litter, closely attended by soldiers.” B u t p a r a n o i d a n d apprehensive as Tiberius may have been, he was still emperor. Once Agrippina and her two eldest sons were out of the dynastic picture, Tiberius took a harder and closer look at his “partner in toil.” Perhaps Suetonius was correct when he claimed that Tiberius may have used the Prefect al l along in order to remove Agrippina’s two eldest sons, thus paving the way for the dynastic succession of his grandson, Tiberius Gemellus. Others believe that it was a letter penned by Antonia the Younger, the mother of Livilla (widow of Drusus)—with whom Sejanus had long been enamored—that awakened Tiberius to the devious machinations of the Prefect. To Tiberius’s horror, Antonia’s letter even implicated Sejanus (and Livilia) in his son’s Drusus’s sudden passing. Now that the lidded eyes of the Princeps were finally open, the trap was easily set for his ensnarer in chief. In addition to all the other powers conferred on him over the years, Sejanus was led to believe that he was being awarded the all-important tribunician power—a sure sign that he would be heir- designate. Hotly anticipated, he eagerly swallowed the bait. Sejanus a r r i v e d a t t h e S e n a t e chamber amid much fanfare f r om t h e t o a d i e s a n d sycophants he had long cultivated there. But it did not take long before things began to go amiss. Far f rom Sejanus receiving the tribunician power, at long last, he was now on the receiving end of one heinous accusation after another. But this time the charges were all true! Finally, the punishment his nefarious activities had so long meted out to others was to be dropped on him. The end came swiftly. Sejanus was executed the following day. His lifeless body was thrown unceremoniously onto the Gemonian Steps, where for three days it was abused and pummeled by those who had long despised him—just about everyone living in Rome. His remains were finally hurled into the Tiber, a burial reserved for only the most heinous and despicable of criminals. At last, he had found his true station. Bust of Antonia the Younger LIX