Ancient Rome - 14-37 AD Tiberius AV Aureus NGC AU

Tiberius (Tiberius Caesar Dīvī Augustī Fīlius Augustus), 16 November 42 BC--16 March 37 AD, served as Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. His mother divorced his father and married Octavian (Augustus) in 39 BC, thereby making him a stepson of Octavian. Tiberius much later married Augustus' daughter, Julia the Elder, and was eventually adopted by Augustus. Thus, he officially became a Julian. Tiberius was among Rome's great generals. He came to be known as a reclusive and dark emperor who did not want to be emperor. Pliny the Elder called him tristissimus hominum, "the gloomiest of men."

Tiberius was groomed by Augustus to succeed him, but he was the fourth choice after Agrippa, the husband of Augustus's daughter Julia, and their sons Gaius and Lucius, all three of whom predeceased Augustus. It was after the death of Agrippa in 12 BC that Augustus forced the reluctant Tiberius to divorce his wife Vipsania and marry his widowed daughter, Julia. Ten years later the unhappy marriage had failed miserably, and she was exiled for adultery. The deaths of Gaius and Lucius resulted in Augustus forcing Tiberius out of his early retirement. The year 4 AD saw Augustus adopt Tiberius, adding, "This I do for reasons of state." This statement shows a reluctance to make Tiberius his heir, and Tiberius seems to have been unenthusiastic in that role. To seal the deal, Tiberius was compelled to adopt his 18-year old nephew Germanicus as heir and successor. Tiberius took power in 14 AD.

His reign was rife with political intrigue. By 26 AD, Tiberius had had his fill of Rome, leaving never to return. He left power in the hands of Lucius Aelius Sejanus, the Praetorian Prefect. Seeing himself as a potential successor to Tiberius, he set about conspiring against him while eliminating any and all other candidates to the throne. From his home Tiberius learned of Sejanus' plot, and had him arrested. A letter from the emperor was read to the senate detailing his suspicions. Then Sejanus was executed and his remains dragged through the streets and tossed into the Tiber. His family and many supporters saw similar fates. There were several treason trials going on that terrorized Rome. Tiberius died at 78, his heir was the young Gaius (Caligula).