Vespasian

1. BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

  • NAME:
    • Titus Flavius Vespasianus
    • As Emperor: Titus Flavius Caesar Vespasianus Augustus
  • VESPASIAN’S DATES OF REIGN AS EMPEROR:
    • 21 December 69 CE – 23 June 79 CE
  • FAMILY DYNASTY:
  • VESPASIAN’S DATE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
    • Born: 17 November 9 CE Died: 23 June 79 CE
  • PLACE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
  • VESPASIAN’S PREDECESSOR:
  • VESPASIAN’S SUCCESSOR:
  • HEIR TO THE THRONE BECAUSE:
  • VESPASIAN’S FATHER:
    • Titus Flavius Sabinus I
  • VESPASIAN’S MOTHER:
    • Vespasia Polla
  • VESPASIAN’S WIVES AND CHILDREN:
    • Domitilla the Elder (married c.38 CE – died c.69 CE)
      • Titus (39-81 CE)
      • Domitian (51-96 CE)
      • Domitilla the Younger (c.45-c.66 CE)
    • Caenis (Consort 65-74 CE)
  • DIED PEACEFULLY OR ASSASSINATED:
    • Vespasian contracted an illness and died from a fever.
  • WHERE BURIED:

2. GOOD OR BAD EMPEROR

3. EARLY LIFE

4. REIGN OF VESPASIAN

  • VESPASIAN’S MILITARY CAMPAIGNS/ REFORMS:

Roman Conquest of Britannia

  • During the Roman Conquest of Britannia (43 CE), Vespasian was the Commander of the Legio II Augusta.
  • His Legion set off from Chichester and moved into the West of Britain taking 20 castles, including Maiden Castle and the Isle of Wight. He built the Legionary Fortress at Exeter, Isca Dumnoniorum.

First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 CE)

  • First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 CE) was a Revolt in Judaea that broke out in 66 CE under Nero.
  • 67 CE Nero ordered Vespasian and his son Titus to quell the revolt with 4 Legions (totaling approximately 60,000 Soldiers): Legio X Fretensis, Legio V Macedonica, Legio XV Apollinaris and the reconstituted Legio XII Fulminata.
  • Vespasian used Caesarea Maritima as his Operational Base.
  • In 67 CE Josephus described the Siege of Jotapata (Yodfat), by three Legions, which was conquered after 47 days and 40,000 of its inhabitants slain. During the Siege, the Romans used Hot Oil on the defenders.
  • By 68 CE Vespasian had conquered each town in the north separately, and proceeded to capture the towns along the coastline. Meanwhile the Rebels concentrated in Jerusalem where a civil war was fought between the Zealots and the Sicarii.
  • Vespasian then left his son Titus to continue the war, whilst he became the fourth Emperor, during the Year of the Four Emperors.

Year of the Four Emperors (69 CE)

  • In 69 CE, the first Civil war under the Roman Empire took place, and is known as the Year of the Four Emperors.
  • First Galba became Emperor, then Otho, then Vitellius and lastly, Vespasian.
  • Finally, the Legions in the East declared Vespasian Emperor, who proceeded to conquer Egypt. An alliance with Mucianus, the Governor of Syria and Primus, the Commander of the Legions in Pannonia, led to them converging on Rome and removing Vitellius, after which the Roman Senate then declared Vespasian Emperor.

Batavian Revolt (69-70 CE)

  • The Batavian Revolt (69-70 CE) was led by Civilis, a Batavian Prince and Roman Commander, after a series of insults forced the Batavians into open Revolt.
  • 69 CE Galba disbanded the Germani Corpore Custodes, Nero‘s Bodyguard Unit, whom he suspected of remaining loyal to Nero, which was a deep insult to this elite Regiment.
  • 69 CE The 8 Cohorts of the Batavian Auxilia, who shared the Fortress of the Legio XIV Gemina fell out with them, and serious fighting occurred between them.
  • 69 CE Vitellius had himself declared Emperor and released Civilis, so that he could take the Batavian Cohorts willingly to Italy where they fought at Cremona.
  • Vitellius’ Governor, further upset the Batavians by over-recruiting them for the conflict in Italy.
  • Finally, Civilis, who was the Roman Commander of the Batavian Auxiliary Cohorts left behind decided to rebel. He was fully trained in Roman strategy and tactics.
  • The Roman Legions were preoccupied in the First Jewish-Roman War, but when Jerusalem fell, the Roman General Quintus Petillius Cerialis brought a large Army to the Batavian Territory and defeated the Rebels.
  • After their defeat, a Legion was permanently based in Batavian territory at Noviomagus Nijmegen, Germania Inferior.

Consolidation of Britannia (77-85 CE)

 

  • DOMESTIC POLICY/ TAXATION

Urine Tax (74 CE)

  • In 74 CE, Vespasian imposed a new Tax on the collection of Urine, the ‘Vectigal Urinae’.
  • When deflecting criticism for introducing this tax, Vespasian made the remark Pecunia non olet meaning ‘Money doesn’t smell’.
  • Urine was collected outside shops, at crossroads and street corners. Urine is rich in Ammonia which was then used as a cleaning agent in Laundries, and as a hair remover from skins in the tanning process.
  • Rome had possibly as many as 144 public latrines at crossroads and street corners consisting of amphorae or barrels cut in half. These buckets were called ‘Dolia Certa’.
  • Public Toilets in Italy are still called ‘Vespasiano’ and in France ‘Vespasienne’, from the time Vespasian issued this Urine Tax

5. PERSONAL LIFE

6. CONSEQUENCES OF VESPASIAN’S REIGN

7. THE SUCCESSION TO VESPASIAN

8. BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS TO VISIT

  • MONUMENTS:
  • Colosseum
    • Construction started in 72 CE and the inaugural Games were held in 81 CE.

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • CLASSICAL SOURCES:
    • Tacitus: Histories.
    • Josephus; The War of the Jews.
    • Suetonius: ‘The Lives of the Twelve Caesars’ ‘The Life of Vespasian’.
    • Dio Cassius: Roman History, Books 64, 65 and 66.

 

Posted in .