Latin 520 (Tiberius): Assignment for Week 4 (Jan. 21-27)

Given that Nature threw us a snowy curveball, still more catching up to do, though I’d still like to try and make it through Book 4 in some fashion this week, lest we rob ValMax (an actual Tiberian author!) of too much attention (Tac. will spill over into Week 5 as it is).

So: what I’d like to do is spend Tuesday looking at Book 2 (see last week’s assignment); and then Thursday looking a some very specific issues in Books 3-4 (and you should as always feel free to raise whatever issues the readings have raised in your mind).

• Read:

Assuming you’ve completed Book 2, then, read Books 3-4 in English.

Concentrate on the following, select passages in Latin:

Ann. 3.1-6 (Germanicus’ funeral in Rome), 22-30 (the case of Lepida; digression on law), 52-55 (concerns about luxury, Tiberius’ letter)

Ann. 4.34-35 (trial of Cremutius Cordus), 52-53 (Claudia Pulchra), 57-61 (Tiberius withdraws from Rome), 74 (final chapter)

Commentaries: For Book 3, Woodman and Martin, in the Cambridge ‘orange’ series, is the one; for Book 4, the Cambridge ‘green and yellow’ by Woodman and Martin. Both of these are in the seminar room, and I’ll try to remember to put them on our reserve shelf on Monday (they are currently shelved in the Tacitus section).

• Ponderanda:

Can you point to passages in Books 3-4 that seem to suggest Tacitus believed that Tiberius was in some sense a competent emperor? He is quite precise that in AD 23 Tiberius’ reign began to deteriorate dramatically (4.6.1). In what ways does Tacitus mark that process?

In both of these books considerable attention is paid to Tiberius’ relationship with members of his immediate family and to the fates of the descendants of some very well known characters especially associated with Augustus. What seems in general to be the nature of Tiberius’ relationship with or attitude to these personalities (you might even make a list)? is there anyone he actually likes?

The case of Clutorius Priscus (Ann. 3.49-51, not assigned in Latin) and the better known case of Cremutius Cordus are both extremely interesting. What can you deduce from them about the literary environment in Tiberian Rome? Does Clutorius Priscus remind you of anyone?

We will eventually discuss why Tiberius leaves Rome…with that in mind, you might start paying attention to those moments where this issue is explictly raised by Tacitus (or rather, where the answer to the question, ‘Where is Tiberius?’, strikes him as important for you to know).

• Secondary (and other) reading:

A tremendous amount has been written about the Cordus episode in Tacitus. One of my personal favorites is by John Moles (‘Cry Freedom’, in Histos 2 [1998]), and it may be found here:

http://research.ncl.ac.uk/histos/Histos_BackIssues1998.html

Moles will give you an overview of the scholarship (to ’98, anyway) and offer his own interpretation.