Week Two

BOOKS I-III: Germanicus and the old virtue vs. the luxury and decadence of Rome. Decency, moderation, and the limits of law. The "decent" part of Tiberius' reign (AD 14-22).

February 11, 2025, 7 PM -8:30 pm

What qualities of Germanicus inspire the honor and loyalty of his men, and how does his character compare to that of Tiberius? What would he have been like as emperor? What factors make the old republican virtues impossible in imperial Rome? To what extent are these virtues still visible in the army under a Germanicus? Or does the army's mutiny instead imitate the dissoluteness of Rome? What features of despotism limit Germanicus' rise, and lead to his eventual murder (i.7.6, i.80.3, ii.26.5)? What do the sly calculation of Tiberius and his wife Livia, and the public suspicion of their roles in Germanicus' death, suggest about the public trust in law and justice (ii.77.3, ii.82, ii.88, iii.8)?

Could a "decent" despotism have arrested moral decline? could law? What are the limits of force and fear to curb greed, corruption, and depravity? What is Tacitus' account of the origin of law; under what circumstances does law become necessary (iii.25-28)? How can even good laws lead to tyranny, and what light does that cast on the law on treason?

rEADING: i.16-45, 48-51; ii.26-43, 50-51, 69-88; iii.1-19, 22-38.2, 44, 47-57, 64-70, 72-76

(The translation of the Annals that we are using is by Cynthia Damon (Penguin Books, 2012).)