The Roman Empire During the Reign of Tiberius

The Julio-Claudians are the four emperors that succeeded Augustus following his death in AD14. The Julio-Claudians were Roman Nobles with an impressive and significant ancestry in the Roman Empire. It was during the Julio-Claudian reign that the Roman Empire reached an optimum level of power and wealth, and has been seen as the golden age of Roman arts and literature. The beginning of the Julio-Claudian dynasty was signified by the succession of Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar, most commonly known as Tiberius, to the throne in AD14. Tiberius appears to have been the most capable and experienced of the Julio-Claudian emperors, due to his military, administrative and diplomatic abilities. He was a capable and forceful leader, who enforced justice within the government of the provinces, maintained the integrity of the frontiers, and monitored the finances of the empire. Despite his abilities, he became unpopular in Roman society, and his time as emperor has been described as a reign of terror due to his cruel nature, and the events that occurred during his reign. The significance of Tiberius’ reign as emperor is most evident in the political, social, legal and military developments during his reign; foreign and domestic diplomacy; and the role of building programs during this period. The portrayal of Tiberius in sources, and the reliability of these sources also has an influence on the significance if his time as Princeps.

During his reign, Tiberius followed the instructions left by Augustus to not undertake any expansive foreign wars and avoid any major expansion , and chose to follow an Augustan pattern in his administration, to allow for a degree of continuity within the empire . Tiberius made two important innovations during his reign as emperor . The first was the lengthening of the tenure of provincial governors, and the second was the centralisation of the government system. Tiberius wanted the provinces to be governed by men of merit. To allow for this, he