OCR A-Level Ancient History H407
Relations Between Greek States and Non-Greek States, 492–404 BC
The Society and Politics of Sparta, 478–404 BC
The Culture and Politics of Athens, c.460–c.399 BC
The Rise of Macedon, c.359–323 BC
The Julio-Claudian Emperors, 31 BC–AD 68
The Breakdown of the Late Republic, 88–31 BC
The Flavians, AD 68–96
Ruling Roman Britain, AD 43–c.128
The Julio-Claudian Emperors, 31 BC–AD 68
Tiberius and the views of the classical authors
- 2 things to know
- Component Group 2
Overview
Recall questions on Tacitus' theme of concealment and his sources, Suetonius' arrangement of a life, the caution Velleius requires, the decree on Piso's trial, and the case for a good reign.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Why is concealment the key to Tacitus' portrait of Tiberius?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Who was Tacitus?
Model answer
He was a Roman senator and consul who wrote the Annals in the early second century AD, some eighty years after Tiberius' death.
- 2
What does Tacitus claim about his own approach, and how far is it borne out?
Model answer
He promises to write without anger or partiality, yet his selection of material and his insinuations present Tiberius as a hypocrite from the beginning.
- 3
Why is concealment the key to Tacitus' portrait of Tiberius?
Model answer
Tacitus assumes that Tiberius hid his real intentions, so every apparent virtue in the narrative can be read as a mask for cruelty waiting to emerge.
- 4
Identify the sources Tacitus had for Tiberius' reign.
Model answer
He used the official record of Senate proceedings, earlier histories, memoirs and the anecdotes preserved in senatorial families.
- 5
Who was Suetonius, and what access did he have to evidence?
Model answer
He was an equestrian scholar who served as an imperial secretary under Hadrian, and could use imperial archives when he wrote his lives of the Caesars around AD 121.
- 6
Describe how Suetonius' life of Tiberius is organised.
Model answer
It is arranged by categories of conduct rather than by year, dealing with his public administration first and his alleged vices afterwards.
Other ways to work this
The same content, four other ways.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Every question in The Julio-Claudian Emperors, 31 BC–AD 68, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.