Gaius Caesar
Gaius Caesar | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Princeps iuventutis | |||||
Born | 20 BC Rome, Roman Empire | ||||
Died | 21 February 4 AD (aged 23) Limyra, Lycia, Anatolia | ||||
Burial | |||||
Spouse | Livilla | ||||
| |||||
Dynasty | Julio-Claudian | ||||
Father | Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Augustus (adoptive) | ||||
Mother | Julia the Elder |
Gaius Caesar (/ˈsiːzər/; 20 BC – 21 February 4 AD) was a grandson and heir to the throne of Roman emperor Augustus, alongside his younger brother Lucius Caesar. Although he was born to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia, Augustus' only daughter, Gaius and Lucius were raised by their grandfather as his adopted sons and joint-heirs. He experienced an accelerated political career befitting a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, with the Roman Senate allowing him to advance his career without first holding a quaestorship or praetorship, offices that ordinary senators were required to hold as part of the cursus honorum.[2]
In 1 BC, Gaius was given command of the eastern provinces, after which he concluded a
Background
With Marcellus gone, Augustus arranged for the marriage of Agrippa to his daughter
Early life and family
Gaius was born in Rome in 20 BC to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder. He was a part of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, and was related to all the Julio-Claudian emperors. On his mother's side, he was the oldest grandson of emperor Augustus. He was the stepson of Tiberius by his mother Julia's marriage to him, and brother in law of Claudius by his sister Agrippina the Elder's marriage to Germanicus. He also was the uncle of Caligula, who was the son of his sister Agrippina. The last emperor of the dynasty was Nero, who was Gaius' great-nephew and the grandson of Germanicus.[8] An annual sacrifice on his birthday was granted in a decree.[9]
In 17 BC, his brother Lucius was born. Augustus immediately adopted both Gaius and Lucius from their father by a symbolic sale, and named both Gaius and Lucius his (personal) heirs.
That year his family left for the province of
The luxurious rural villa-estate at Ossaia near Cortona was owned by Gaius and Lucius Caesar.[18]
Their father was no longer available to assume the reins of power if the Emperor were to die, and Augustus had to make it clear who his intended heirs were in case anything should happen.[17] To learn about military affairs, he accompanied Tiberius in his campaign against the Sicambri in 8 BC.[15] The year before, Tiberius' brother Drusus the Elder died on his way back from a campaign across the Rhine. Tiberius was given command of Germania, and waged two campaigns across the Rhine in 8 BC and 7 BC. He marched his army between the Elbe and the Rhine, and met little resistance, except from the Sicambri. Tiberius came close to exterminating the Sicambri, and had those who survived transported to the Roman side of the Rhine, where they could be watched more closely.[19]
Career
Early political career
Gaius was elected consul designatus by the
The following year (5 BC), when he attained military age, he assumed the
Herodian succession
Following the death of King
At the same time, King Phraates IV of Parthia had seized Armenia with the help of Armenian nationalists, and expelled Tigranes IV, the king installed by Rome.[29] Historian Ferrero speculates that Phraates may have been hoping to use Armenia as a bargaining chip to secure the release of his sons who were held captive by the Romans. Roman supremacy in Asia depended on its possession of Armenia as a protectorate. Before Rome could deal with the Parthians in Armenia, it would first need to make its Syrian legions available, which were still tied down in Palestine.[30] In order to free up the legions there, the Kingdom of Judaea was divided among the sons of Herod the Great. One half remained under Archelaus, while the other half was subdivided between his brothers, Antipas and Philip. This served to restore stability to the region, whilst keeping Judaea from becoming powerful. Having settled matters in Judaea, the Emperor decided to deploy an army to Armenia to re-establish its status as a Roman protectorate and to show the eastern world that Rome held dominion over all land as far as the Euphrates.[30]
Command in Asia
Departure
Due to his advanced age, Augustus was unable to travel to the east himself. There were few to whom the Emperor could entrust matters in the east, but he was confident in Gaius. Gaius made a good choice because his presence represented that of the imperial family – all orders, promises, or threats coming from him were as valid as if they came from the Emperor himself. Nonetheless, he was only eighteen, and therefore too young for the conduct of important business.[31]
Before leaving for the east, he and his brother Lucius were given the authority to consecrate buildings, and they did, with their management of the games held to celebrate the dedication of the Temple of Mars Ultor (1 August 2 BC). His youngest brother, Postumus, participated in the Trojan game with the rest of the equestrian youth. 260 lions were slaughtered in the Circus Maximus, there was gladiatorial combat, a naval battle between the "Persians" and the "Athenians", and 36 crocodiles were slaughtered in the Circus Flaminius.[note 1][32]
Friends of Augustus had hoped that he would abandon his plan of sending Gaius to the east but, faced with increasing troubles there, he persisted with the plan and dispatched Gaius to Syria at the beginning of 1 BC. The Emperor entrusted Gaius with proconsular authority and had him marry his second cousin Livilla, the daughter of Drusus the Elder and Antonia Minor.[32][33]
Due to Gaius' youth and inexperience, the Emperor had advisors go with him. Among his entourage to the east were:
On his way to Syria, Gaius met with Tiberius, who had abandoned politics and retired to Rhodes.[36] According to Suetonius, Gaius gave Tiberius a cold reception on the isle of Samos. Tiberius was alienated at the meeting, by the behaviour of both Lollius and Gaius' centurions. Suetonius further wrote that Tiberius wrote to the Emperor that Lollius should be replaced.[34] Lollius' rivalry with Tiberius continued even after Gaius and his entourage reached Syria. Lollius strove to turn Gaius against Tiberius; Gaius, in any case, had no affection for the man who had contributed, directly or indirectly, to the ruin of his mother.[note 2] On one occasion, Lollius offered to decapitate Tiberius if Gaius gave the word.[41] Suetonius wrote that it was Lollius' growing influence that compelled Tiberius to plead with Augustus for his return to Rome.[42]
Consulship
The next year, on 1 January, he entered the consulship
His inexperience meant he was forced to rely on his companions, namely the unruly Lollius, who had taken advantage of the powers he held, and was reportedly holding towns, individuals, and even sovereign princes for ransom. After Gaius opened negotiations with Phraates, Lollius offered the Parthian king certain concessions in return for money.[44]
Preparations for the war continued into the spring and summer of 1 AD, at which point there had been a successful breakthrough in negotiations. As Phraates was not willing to go to war, he agreed to evacuate Armenia and abandon his brothers who were still in Roman captivity.[32][45] In the second half of the year,[46] Gaius had advanced with his army to the Parthian frontier to an unknown spot and brought Phraates to a final agreement on the proposals, in which he renounced all claims to Armenia and all power over his half-brothers.[47]
It was about this time that Augustus passed through Judea and commended Gaius for not offering prayers at Jerusalem, as it would have been provocative to the Jews living there.[48]
Expedition in Arabia
Sometime in the course of his time in the east, Gaius led an expedition into Arabia. Exactly where and for what purpose remains uncertain, though Pliny mentioned it in connection with Aelius Gallus' exploits in South Arabia.[49] The term "Arabia" is never defined, and the term was used loosely by Roman sources. Various reasons, such as an attempt by Rome to control the incense trade, have been suggested but never proven.[50] Juba II, former king of Mauretania, accompanied Gaius to the east. In order to prepare Gaius for his encounter with the Arabs, Juba wrote him a treatise. According to Pliny, the young prince made it as far as the Gulf of Aqaba. It is certain that this expedition happened before his time in Armenia, and, referencing Gaius' cenotaph in Pisa, it is almost certain to have taken place during his consulship.[38]
Author and historian
Cassius Dio, in a fragmentary notice,[52] mentions trouble in Egypt which was suppressed by a tribune of the Praetorian Guard. It is very likely this man was part of Gaius' entourage, but other than that nothing is known of him.[51]
Supremacy in Armenia
In the year following his consulship, in spring, he had held a meeting with Phraates on the bank of the Euphrates, in which a banquet was held to celebrate a peace treaty. It was here that Phraates, offended by Lollius, disclosed the guardian's secret negotiations to Gaius. It was for the crime of extorting presents from kings (regnum muneribus) that Lollius lost the friendship of Gaius and drank poison. Pliny says he amassed a fortune from his crimes and that, as a result, his granddaughter could afford to wear jewelry worth 40,000,000 sesterces, a considerable amount of money.[44][53] The death of Lollius was fortunate to Tiberius, after which Gaius consented to his return to Rome and consequent return to Roman politics.[54]
At the same time, the throne of Armenia had become vacant and, with permission from the Emperor, Gaius placed Ariobarzanes II of Atropatene on the throne. The Romans weren't the only ones interested in Armenia: the Parthians stirred up a revolt among nationalists in the nation. A large force of rebels had occupied the fortress in the city of Artagira. Gaius was drawn into the conflict, and invaded Armenia in late August of 2 AD. He encountered no serious opposition as there were only a few revolts he had to suppress as a result of the nationalist party.[55]
On 9 September, Abbadon, the leader of the rebellion, invited Gaius into the fortress to speak with him. It proved to be a trick, and Gaius was wounded in the confrontation. He had to be carried away by his outraged lieutenants. His forces promptly laid siege to the city and captured the fortress after intense fighting.[56][57] At first the wound did not seem serious and he was able to complete the pacification of Armenia, a relatively easy task.[32][58][55]
By the next year (3 AD), he was entirely prostrated by the effects of his wound, had resigned his command, and withdrawn to Syria from where he informed Augustus that he had no further desire to take part in public life.[32][55] The eastern campaign had proven severe: his health was weak and his mental balance unstable. At the age of twenty-three, the young man whom the Emperor considered his heir and sole hope of prosperity had abandoned his prospects of reputation and power in a wild fit of despair and fear. Augustus did his best to cheer him up and convince him to return to Italy. It was in vain: Gaius died in a little Lycian town on 21 February 4 AD.[59]
Post mortem
While Gaius was in Armenia, his brother Lucius had been sent by Augustus to complete his military training in Spain. While there, he fell ill and died on 20 August 2 AD in Massalia, Gaul.[60] In the span of 18 months, the planned future of Rome was shaken.[61] The deaths of both Gaius and Lucius, the Emperor's two most favoured heirs, led Augustus to adopt his stepson Tiberius and his sole remaining grandson Postumus as his new heirs on 26 June 4 AD.[21]
Many honors were heaped upon Gaius by citizens and city officials of the Empire, including Colonia Obsequens Iulia Pisana (Pisa), where it was decreed that proper rites must be observed by matrons to lament his passing. Temples, public baths, and shops shut their doors as women wept inconsolably. To commemorate his brief life, a cenotaph was erected on the Limyrus River at Limyra in Lycia.[62] Posthumously, the Senate voted honours for the young Caesars, and arranged for the golden spears and shields the boys had received on achieving the age of military service to be hung in the Senate House.[62] The caskets containing their ashes were stored in the Mausoleum of Augustus alongside those of their father Agrippa and other members of the imperial family.[62]
Both Tacitus and Cassius Dio suggested foul play may have been involved in the death of Gaius and Lucius and that Gaius's step grandmother Livia may have had a hand in their deaths. Livia's presumed motive may have been to orchestrate the accession of her own son Tiberius as heir to Augustus.[52][63]
In popular culture
- Gaius and Lucius both appeared as characters in the 1976 TV series I, Claudius; the series reverses the order of their deaths, with Gaius dying first. Gaius was played by Earl Rhodes.[64]
Ancestry
Ancestry of Gaius Caesar Scribonia | | |||||||||||||||
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15. Sentia | ||||||||||||||||
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Cassius Dio reports that, after the games, Gaius was given command of the legions on the Ister (Danube), and that he did not take part in actions as he was there to learn (Dio, LV.10).
- ^ In 2 BC, Julia the Elder was forced into exile after she had received a letter in Tiberius' name. She was deemed guilty of committing adultery on multiple accounts by her father Augustus (Dio, LV.10; Suetonius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars. "Augustus", 65).
References
Citations
- ^ PIR2 I 216
- ^ Rowe 2002, p. 45
- ^ Bunson 2002, p. 10
- ^ Southern 2013, p. 203
- ^ a b Dunstan 2010, p. 274
- ^ Rowe 2002, pp. 52–54
- ^ Scullard 2013, p. 216
- ^ Wood 1999, p. 321
- ^ Cassius Dio, Roman History, LIV.8.5
- ^ Cassius Dio, Roman History, LIV.18.1
- ^ Davies & Swain 2010, p. 284
- ^ Suetonius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Life of Augustus, 64
- ^ Powell 2015, pp. 159–160
- ^ Powell 2015, p. 161
- ^ a b Smith 1873, p. 555
- ^ Cassius Dio, Roman History, LIV.28.1–2
- ^ a b Wood 1999, p. 65
- ^ The Imperial “Villa” at Ossaia (Arezzo, Italy): Preliminary Data on the Territory of Roman Cortona, Helena Fracchia et al. Echos du monde classique: Classical views, University of Toronto Press, Volume XL, n.s. 15, Number 1, 1996, pp. 157-200
- ^ Wells 2003, p. 157
- ^ a b Cassius Dio, Roman History, LV.9
- ^ a b c d Pettinger 2012, p. 235
- ^ CIL XI, 3040
- ^ CIL VI, 897; CIL VI, 3748
- ^ Ferrero 1909, p. 247
- ^ The death of Herod was on 1 January BC according to some scholars. See Andrew Steinmann, From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology. (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 2011), Print. pp. 219-256. W.E. Filmer, "The Chronology of the Reign of Herod the Great". The Journal of Theological Studies, 1966. 17(2): p. 283-298. Finegan, Jack. Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of Chronology in the Bible. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998, 2015. pp. 238-279.
- ^ Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, XVII.9.5
- ^ a b Ferrero 1909, p. 257
- ^ Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, XVII.10.2–10
- ^ Velleius Paterculus, II.100
- ^ a b Ferrero 1909, p. 259
- ^ Ferrero 1909, pp. 259–261
- ^ a b c d e Cassius Dio, Roman History, LV.10
- ^ Hazel 2002, p. 48
- ^ a b Suetonius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, "Tiberius", 12
- ^ Tacitus, The Annals, III.48
- ^ a b Velleius Paterculus, II.101
- ^ Suetonius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, "Nero", 5
- ^ a b c Bowersock 1983, p. 56
- ^ Tacitus, The Annals, IV.1
- ^ Ferrero 1909, p. 272
- ^ Suetonius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, "Tiberius", 13
- ^ Ferrero 1909, p. 275
- ^ Ferrero 1909, p. 276
- ^ a b Ferrero 1909, pp. 276–277
- ^ Ferrero 1909, pp. 277–278
- ^ CIL XI, 1421
- ^ Ferrero 1909, p. 284
- ^ Suetonius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Life of Augustus, 93
- ^ Pliny, Natural History, VI.32
- ^ Young 2001, pp. 91–93
- ^ a b Grainger 2013, p. 117
- ^ a b Cassius Dio, Roman History, LV.10a
- ^ Pliny, Natural History, IX.58
- ^ Ferrero 1909, p. 285
- ^ a b c Velleius Paterculus, II.102
- ^ Bunson 2002, p. 47
- ^ Sartre 2005, p. 68
- ^ Ferrero 1909, p. 286
- ^ Ferrero 1909, pp. 287–288
- ^ Mommsen 1996, p. 107
- ^ Suetonius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Life of Augustus, 65
- ^ a b c Powell 2015, p. 192
- ^ Tacitus, The Annals, I.3
- ^ "Earl Rhodes". IMDb. 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
- ^ Bartsch 2017, p. ix
Bibliography
Ancient sources
- Cassius Dio, Roman History Book 55, English translation
- Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews Book 17, English translation
- Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Life of Augustus, Latin text with English translation
- Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Life of Nero, Latin text with English translation
- Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Life of Tiberius, Latin text with English translation
- Tacitus, Annals, I–IV, English translation
- Velleius Paterculus, Roman History Book II, Latin text with English translation
Modern sources
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- Bunson, Matthew (2002), Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, Facts on File, ISBN 0-8160-4562-3
- Davies, Mark Everson; Swain, Hilary (2010), Aspects of Roman History 82BC-AD14: A Source-based Approach, Routledge, ISBN 978-1-135-15160-7
- Dunstan, William E. (2010), Ancient Rome, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, ISBN 978-0-7425-6834-1
- Ferrero, Guglielmo (1909), The republic of Augustus, G. P. Putnam's Sons This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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- Wood, Susan E. (1999), Imperial Women: A Study in Public Images, 40 B.C. – A.D. 68, Brill Academic Publishers, ISBN 9789004119505
- Young, Gary K. (2001), Rome's Eastern Trade: International Commerce and Imperial Policy 31 BC – AD 305, Routledge, ISBN 0-203-47093-1
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1873). "C. Caesar and L. Caesar". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. pp. 555–556.