diablo Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Agrippina the younger I have found only secondary sources relating to her and her relationship with Nero and Gaius. can any one please give me primary sources for the topic I wish to explore also explain the role each person played in her life describe Neros perspective on agripina the younger and the key people and events in her life explain how and why Neros perspective differed to that of giaus. thx cool thx for any replys Diablo DAmon lol oh yeah this site is so awsome wherei can discuess all about anthing roman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 I have found only secondary sources relating to her and her relationship with Nero and Gaius.can any one please give me primary sources for the topic I wish to explore Since I don't know what you have and haven't found, here are the usual suspects... Tacitus the Annals of Imperial Rome Book XII, Book XIII Suetonius, Life of Claudius Suetonius, Life of Nero Cassius Dio, Book 61, 62 & 63. You may find that you'll get a better response if you give us an indication of what you already know and what you've researched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Agrippina maintained a very close relationship with Nero - she wanted him under her guidance if not her thumb. Nero essentially was a mummies boy, something of a downer in the macho roman world. So it isn't suprising that Nero played at being being a tough lad mugging innocent passers by when he got older. Personally I think she kept on trying to manipulate him past the point of no return, but read the references above and see what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diablo Posted March 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 I have found only secondary sources relating to her and her relationship with Nero and Gaius. can any one please give me primary sources for the topic I wish to explore Since I don't know what you have and haven't found, here are the usual suspects... Tacitus the Annals of Imperial Rome Book XII, Book XIII Suetonius, Life of Claudius Suetonius, Life of Nero Cassius Dio, Book 61, 62 & 63. You may find that you'll get a better response if you give us an indication of what you already know and what you've researched. I have found no primary sources that is sources that have happened at the time hummm like a historian writing about somthing as it happened thankyou for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulpii Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Agrippina's relationship with Gaius is complex. Obviously she was his sister and according to Suetonius his lover as well, but nothing like so favoured as her sister Drusilla. In addition we see her exiled in the aftermath of the rebellion of Gaetulicus. Whether she was a victim of Gaius' paranoia or indeed implicated is never going to be certain. Her relations with Nero are still more complex. He owed her his position as emperor. She married Claudius, partially through the support of Pallas and partially through her own habit of flirting with her uxorious uncle. It was her who persuaded Claudius to recall Seneca and appoint Burrus as Commander of teh Praetorian Guard. With these two in place she was able to persuade Claudius to marry his daughter Octavia to Domitius Ahenobarbus (Nero), after arranging the death of her fiancee Silanus. She also arranged Nero's adoption and name change. She thus can be blamed(?) for Nero's accession. Post accession we have the debated Quinquennium Neronis during which Agrippina and Seneca and Burrus struggled between themselves to control Nero. During this period some would say she dominated him with our historian hinting at incest. However many feel her greatest influence lay in the fact that Seneca and Burrus could control Agrippina only because they shielded him from hi mother. As Nero grew up and started sleeping with first the freedwoman Acte and then Poppaea Sabina her influence waned. Eventually Nero sent Anictetus to assassinate her first with the famous collapsing boat, second by stabbing her in the womb. Getting at the truth of any of this is complicated by the Roman hostility to Agrippina and the impossibility of accurately gauging how far coins with her on the obverse are an honour, how far an indication of excessive power. Anyway a fascinating woman well worth a look. Griffin on Nero is Good, Levick on Claudius and all the corrections to my over hast summary of her roles will probably help as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divi Filius Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 I think we should be very careful about what we take as true and false in regards to the Annalic Histories of Tacitus and the Life of Caesars by Suetonius. While the latter had access to a large amount of info of the imperial palace, he was still far too inclined to believe rumors based on how widespread they were, since his mentality was if its popular, it had to be true. This can infact hinder much of what we perceive as truth from Suetonius. As for her relations to Gaius, Im actually going to the median. I really dont know what to add as I just can't find a point I fully agree with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulpii Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 I think we should be very careful about what we take as true and false in regards to the Annalic Histories of Tacitus and the Life of Caesars by Suetonius. I couldn't agree more, trusting either historian is dubious - Suetonius especially has much in common with the Sunday Sport (UK paper famous for scurrilous rumours) - as a brief read of his description of Tacitus' time on Capri makes only too obvious. It should however be borne in mind that information on Nero and Agrippina in Tacitus is not far removed from him, he specifically mentions having spoken to people who remember elements of his later Annals. Agrippina's influence is clearly demonstrated on the numismatic evidence of the time and comparisons between our historians at last indicate some element of truth to Agrippina's influence as Augusta. As I say work on Gaius and his sisters is largely suggestion based on rumour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dalby Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 I think we should be very careful about what we take as true and false in regards to the Annalic Histories of Tacitus and the Life of Caesars by Suetonius. I couldn't agree more, trusting either historian is dubious - Suetonius especially has much in common with the Sunday Sport (UK paper famous for scurrilous rumours) - as a brief read of his description of Tacitus' time on Capri makes only too obvious. We've done the reliability of Suetonius business before and I won't repeat myself. But he cites both personal and documentary sources. His grandfather knew people at Tiberius's court; his father served as a military tribune with Otho: specific anecdotes are credited to each of them. Suetonius is often reporting rumours, and if you read him carefully he is not asserting that these things are true. I agree, it's up to us to be critical on our own account: very likely, no surviving person could really have known the facts about Tiberius on Capri or about the poisoning of Britannicus etc., and we have to keep on saying that to ourselves when reading. I don't fully trust *any* historian, but I'm really glad to know the rumours that were spreading around the streets of Rome under the first twelve Caesars. They, too, are part of history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diablo Posted March 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 they were some great responses now can you please describe the siginficance of giaus and nero and some key events in her life (just the most siginfiant yeah that word:o ) also in what way do Gaius and Neros perspective differ on her life i know im new here and if im asking too much just tell me k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.