Tiberius and the Charisma of Augustus
The Principate Enshrined

Analyzes Tiberius' reliance on the charisma of Augustus to solidify his power, enshrining the principate as an institution.

Rebecca Edwards (Author)

9781009476676, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 November 2024

252 pages, 13 colour illus.
23.5 x 16 x 2 cm, 0.509 kg

'… succeeds in contributing much to the discussion of Tiberius' role in the development of the Augustan Principate. Students and scholars of the Late Roman Republic, Early Empire, and of political culture, broadly speaking, will benefit from reading it.' Trevor S. Luke, Classical Journal Online

The historian Tacitus began his Annals with the death of Augustus. He considered this date, not Actium, to be the pivotal moment in the crystallization of 'rule by one man.' This book considers the role played by Augustus' successor Tiberius in preserving the system created by the ultimate victor of Rome's civil wars. Drawing upon the work of sociologists and political scientists, it uses the lens of the routinization of charisma to demonstrate how Tiberius' reverence for Augustus and preservation of his policies enacted lasting political change. Tiberius' encouragement of the cult of Divus Augustus and his own refusal of divine honors carry over into other aspects of his reign, where Tiberius recedes into the background, permanently withdrawing from Rome. The charisma of Augustus protected his family, the domus Augusta, and the entire empire, even after his death. This enshrined the position of Augustus as a permanent institution, the principate.

List of figures
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Augustan charisma and its transfer
2. Tiberius and the imperial cult
3. Charismatic precedents
4. The power of images of Augustus in the age of Tiberius
5. Charismatic images of Augustus in Tiberian authors
6. Maiestas and the protection of Augustan charisma
Conclusions
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]