Vespasian

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Vespasian

Titus Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Vespasian (November 17 9

Year 9 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar....
– June 23 79

Year 79 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar....
), was a Roman Emperor

Roman Emperor

The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman Empire during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin language titles such as imperator , Augustus , Caesar and princeps were all associated with it....
who reigned from 69 A.D. until his death in 79 A.D. Vespasian was the founder of the short lived Flavian dynasty

Flavian dynasty

The Flavian dynasty was a Ancient Rome imperial dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96 AD, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian , and his two sons Titus and Domitian ....
, which ruled the Roman Empire

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
between 69 A.D. and 96 A.D. He was succeeded by his sons Titus

Titus

Titus Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Titus , was a Roman Emperor who briefly reigned from 79 until his death in 81. Titus was the second emperor of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Titus's father Vespasian , Titus himself and his younger brother Domitian ....
(79–81) and Domitian

Domitian

Equestrian (Roman)

The Roman equestrian order constituted the lower of the two aristocratic classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the Roman senate Order . A member of the order was known as an eques , which in Latin has the general meaning of any person mounted on a horse , but in this context carries the specific meaning of "knight"....
which rose into the senatorial

Roman Senate

Julio-Claudian Dynasty

The Julio-Claudian Dynasty refers to the four Roman Emperors: Tiberius, Caligula , Claudius, and Nero. They ruled the Roman Empire from 27 BC to AD 68, when the last of the line, Nero, committed suicide....
.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Vespasian'

Start a new discussion about 'Vespasian'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Timeline

9 Born

43 The Roman conquest of Britain begins. Aulus Plautius lands with four legions and defeats the Britons, led by Caratacus and Togodumnus, in battles on the rivers Medway and Thames. He halts at the Thames and sends for Claudius, who leads the march on Camulodunum. Meanwhile, Vespasian subdues the south-west. The Romans found the cities of London, then known as Londinium, and Peterborough, and begin to construct a road that later becomes Ermine Street.

51 Claudius and Vespasian are Roman Consuls.

54 Maiden Castle in Dorset is captured from the Celtic Durotriges by Vespasian.

63 Vespasian becomes governor of Africa

67 Vespasian arrives in Judea to put down the Jewish Revolt.

68 The year of the four emperors: Galba (68), Otho (69) and Vitellius (69) all govern a very short time before Vespasian becomes emperor.

69 The Year of the four emperors: After Nero's death, Galba, Otho and Vitellius all serve as emperor for a short time each before Vespasian takes over.

70 Annexation of the island of Samothrace by the Roman Empire under Vespasian.

71 Vespasian and Nerva are Roman Consuls.

Encyclopedia

Titus Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Vespasian (November 17 9

Year 9 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar....
– June 23 79

Year 79 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar....
), was a Roman Emperor

Roman Emperor

Flavian dynasty

Roman Empire

Titus

Domitian

Equestrian (Roman)

Roman Senate

Julio-Claudian Dynasty

Cursus honorum

The cursus honorum was the Sequence order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire....
of public offices, holding the consulship

Roman consul

Consul was the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire.During the time of ancient Rome as a Republic, the Consuls were the highest civil and military magistrates, serving as the head of government for the Republic....
in 51, Vespasian became more reputed as a successful military commander, partaking in the Roman invasion of Britain in 43, and subjugating the Judaea province

Iudaea Province

Iudaea was a Roman province that extended over the former region of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel. It was named after the tetrarchy of Judea of which it was an expansion, the latter name deriving from the Kingdom of Judah of the 6th century BCE....
during the Jewish rebellion

First Jewish-Roman War

The first Jewish-Roman War , sometimes called The Great Revolt , was the first of three Jewish-Roman wars by the Jews of Iudaea Province against the Roman Empire ....
of 66. While Vespasian was preparing to besiege the city of Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
during the latter campaign, emperor Nero

Nero

Civil war

A civil war is a war between organized groups to take control of a nation or region, or to change government policies. It is high-intensity conflict, often involving Regular Army, that is sustained, organized and large-scale....
known as the Year of the Four Emperors

Year of the Four Emperors

The Year of the Four Emperors was a year in the history of the Roman Empire, AD 69, in which four emperors ruled in a remarkable succession. These four emperors were Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian....
. After Galba

Galba

Servius Sulpicius Galba , also called Servius Sulpicius Galba Caesar Augustus, was Roman Emperor from June 8, 68 until his death. He was the first emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors....
and Otho

Otho

For other uses, see Otho .Marcus Salvius Otho , also called Marcus Salvius Otho Caesar Augustus, was Roman Emperors from 15 January to 16 April 69, the second emperor of the Year of the four emperors....
perished in quick succession, Vitellius

Vitellius

Aulus Vitellius Germanicus, born Aulus Vitellius and commonly known as Vitellius , was a Roman Emperors who reigned from 16 April 69 to 22 December of the same year....
became emperor in mid 69. In response, the armies in Egypt and Judaea themselves declared Vespasian emperor on July 1. In his bid for imperial power, Vespasian joined forces with Gaius Licinius Mucianus, the governor of Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
, who led the Flavian forces against Vitellius, while Vespasian himself gained control over Egypt. On December 20, Vitellius was defeated, and the following day, Vespasian was declared emperor by the Roman Senate

Roman Senate

The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic. According to the Greek historian Polybius, our principal source on the Constitution of the Roman Republic, the Roman Senate was the predominant branch of government....
.

Little factual information survives about Vespasian's government during the ten years he was emperor. His reign is best known for financial reforms following the demise of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, the successful campaign against Judaea, and several ambitious construction projects such as the Colosseum

Colosseum

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre , is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire....
. Upon his death on June 23 79

Year 79 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar....
, he was succeeded by his eldest son Titus.

Family and early career

Vespasian was born in Falacrina

Falacrina

Falacrinae is a village of Ancient Rome that was the birthplace of the emperor Vespasian....
, in the Sabine

Sabine

The Sabines were an Ancient Italic peoples tribe that lived in ancient Italy, inhabiting Latium before the founding of Rome. Their language belonged to the Osco-Umbrian languages subgroup of Italic languages and shows some similarities to Oscan language and Umbrian language....
country near Reate. His father, Titus Flavius Sabinus

Titus Flavius Sabinus (father of Vespasian)

See also Titus Flavius Sabinus for other men of this name.Titus Flavius Sabinus, was the son of Titus Flavius Petro and Tertulla. He was an Equestrian from Reate in the Sabina region of Italy....
, was an equestrian

Equestrian (Roman)

Aventicum

File:Historische Karte CH Rome 1.pngFile:Limestones, gallo-romain culture, Avenches - ch.jpgAventicum was the largest town and capital of Ancient Rome Switzerland ....
, where Vespasian lived for some time. His mother, Vespasia Polla

Vespasia Polla

Vespasia Polla was the mother of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, grandmother to Emperors to Titus and Domitian. Polla came from a good Equestrian family at Nursia....
, was the sister of a Senator

Roman Senate

Titus Flavius Sabinus (consul 47)

See also Titus Flavius Sabinus for other men of this name.Titus Flavius Sabinus was the elder son of Titus Flavius Sabinus and Vespasia Polla....
, into public life. He served in the army as a military tribune

Tribune

Tribune was a title shared by 10 elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the exclusive right to propose legislation before it....
in Thrace

Thrace

Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. Today the name Thrace designates a region spread over southern Bulgaria , northeastern Greece , and European Turkey ....
in 36. The following year he was elected quaestor

Quaestor

Quaestor is a type of public official.In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official who supervised the treasury and financial affairs of the state, its armies and its officers....
and served in Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the List of islands in the Mediterranean largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km? ....
and Cyrene

Cyrene, Libya

Cyrene was an ancient Greece colony in present-day Libya, the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region. It gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times....
. He rose through the ranks of Roman public office, being elected aedile

Aedile

Aedile was an office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of public festivals....
on his second attempt in 39 and praetor

Praetor

Praetor was a Title#Titles_for_heads_of_state granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, either before it was mustered or more typically in the field, or an elected Magistratus assigned duties that varied depending on the historical period....
on his first attempt in 40, taking the opportunity to ingratiate himself with the Emperor Caligula

Caligula

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus , more commonly known by his nickname Caligula , was the third Roman Emperor, reigning from 16 March 37 until his assassination on 24 January 41....
.

In the meantime, he married Domitilla the Elder

Domitilla the Elder

Flavia Domitilla Major Flavia Domitilla the Elder or Domitilla the Elder was the wife of the Roman Emperor Vespasian. She was a daughter of Flavius Liberalis, a humble quaestor and later clerk....
, the daughter of an equestrian from Ferentium. They had two sons, Titus Flavius Vespasianus

Titus

Domitian

Domitilla the Younger

Flavia Domitilla the Younger or Flavia Domitilla Minor was the only daughter of the Roman Emperor Vespasian and Domitilla the Elder. Her elder brother was Titus, and her younger brother Domitian....
(b. 39). Domitilla died before Vespasian became emperor. Thereafter his mistress, Caenis

Caenis

Caenis, a former slave and secretary of Antonia Minor , was the mistress of the Roman emperor Vespasian. Lives of the Twelve Caesars says that after the death of Vespasian's wife Domitilla the Elder, Caenis was his wife in all but name until her death in AD 74....
, was his wife in all but name until she died in 74.

Upon the accession of Claudius

Claudius

Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Claudius I was the fourth Roman Emperor, a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from January 24, AD 41 to his death in AD 54....
as emperor in 41, Vespasian was appointed legate

Legatus

A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of Roman senate rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes....
of Legio II Augusta, stationed in Germania

Germania

Germania was the Latin language exonym for a geographical area of land on the east bank of the River Rhine , which included regions of Sarmatia as well as an area under Ancient Rome control on the west bank of the Rhine....
, thanks to the influence of the Imperial freedman

Freedman

Freedman is the term used to describe a former Slavery who has been Manumission or Emancipation. The first means the freeing of an individual by the owner, often through deed or will, and sometimes by legislative petition....
Narcissus

Tiberius Claudius Narcissus

Tiberius Claudius Narcissus was one of the freedman who formed the core of the imperial court under the Roman emperor Claudius. He is described as praepositus ab epistulis ....
.

Invasion of Britannia

In 43, Vespasian and the II Augusta participated in the Roman invasion of Britain, and he distinguished himself under the overall command of Aulus Plautius

Aulus Plautius

Aulus Plautius was a Roman empire politician and general of the mid-1st century. He led the Roman conquest of Britain in 43, and became the first List of Roman governors of Britain of the new province, serving from 43 to 47....
. After participating in crucial early battles on the rivers Medway

River Medway

The 'River Medway', which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
and Thames

River Thames

The Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Berkshire and Windsor, Berkshire....
, he was sent to reduce the south west, penetrating through the modern counties of Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a Counties of England on the south coast of England....
, Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a Ceremonial counties of England in the South West England of England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire....
, Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a Counties of England in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester, Dorset, situated in the south of the county at ....
, Somerset

Somerset

Somerset is a Counties of England in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The Ceremonial counties of England of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west....
, Devon

Devon

Devon is a large Counties of England in South West England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county but often indicating a shire....
and Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall , constitutional Duchy and palatine, is a metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England of England, United Kingdom, located at the tip of the south-western peninsula of Great Britain....
with the probable objectives of securing the south coast ports and harbours along with the tin mines of Cornwall and the silver and lead mines of Somerset.

Vespasian marched from Noviomagus Reginorum

Noviomagus Reginorum

Noviomagus Reginorum was the Roman Britain town which is today called Chichester, situated in the modern England county of West Sussex. Alternative versions of the name include Noviomagus Regnorum, Regnentium and Regentium....
(Chichester

Chichester

Chichester is a cathedral city status in the United Kingdom in West Sussex, England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Ancient Rome past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings....
) to subdue the hostile Durotriges

Durotriges

The Durotriges were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Islands prior to the Roman invasion of Britain. The tribe lived in modern Dorset, south Wiltshire and south Somerset....
and Dumnonii

Dumnonii

The Dumnonii or Dumnones were a Celtic tribe who inhabited the farther parts of the West Country peninsula of Britain, during the British Iron Age and the early Roman Britain....
tribes , captured twenty oppida (towns, or more probably hill fort

Hill fort

A hill fort is type of fortification refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age and Iron Ages....
s, including Hod Hill

Hod Hill

Hod Hill is a large hill fort in the Blackmore Vale, 3 miles north-west of Blandford Forum, Dorset, England.The fort sits on a chalk hill that is detached from the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase....
and Maiden Castle

Maiden Castle, Dorset

Maiden Castle is a hill fort, mostly dating from the British Iron Age, in the civil parish of Winterborne Monkton, situated 2 miles south of Dorchester, Dorset, in the England county of Dorset....
in Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a Counties of England in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester, Dorset, situated in the south of the county at ....
). He also invaded Vectis

Vectis

#Isle of Wight#Surgical instrument:##Used in gynecology. It resembles one blade of delivery forceps, used to extract the foetus at delivery.##Used in ophthalmology in cataract extraction....
(the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is an England island and county, located 3-8 km from the south coast of the mainland, in the English Channel. It is situated south of the county of Hampshire and is separated from mainland Britain by the Solent....
), finally setting up a fortress and legionary headquarters at Isca Dumnoniorum

Isca Dumnoniorum

Isca Dumnoniorum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Exeter, located in the England county of Devon....
(Exeter

Exeter

Exeter Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Roman Britain and has existed since time immemorial. Exeter Cathedral, founded in 1050 is Anglicanism....
). These successes earned him triumphal regalia (ornamenta triumphalia) on his return to Rome.l

Continued Political Career

Vespasian was elected consul

Consul

Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Roman Empire. The title was also used in other city states, and revived in modern states, notably French Republic before the Napoleon I of Franceic counter-revolution....
for the last two months of 51, after which he withdrew from public life. He came out of retirement in 63 when he was sent as governor to Africa Province

Africa Province

File:Roman Africa.JPGThe Roman province of Africa was established after the Romans defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day northern Tunisia, north-eastern Algeria and the Mediterranean Sea coast of modern-day western Libya along the Syrtis Minor....
. According to Tacitus

Tacitus

Lives of the Twelve Caesars

De vita Caesarum commonly known as The Twelve Caesars, is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 Roman Emperor of the Roman Empire written by Suetonius....
(Vesp. 4), he was "upright and, highly honourable". On one occasion he was pelted with turnip

Turnip

The turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender, varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as fodder for livestock....
s. Vespasian used his time in North Africa wisely. Usually governorships were seen by ex-consuls as opportunities to extort huge amounts of money to regain their wealth that they had spent on their previous political campaigns. Corruption was so rife, that it was almost expected that a governor would come back from these appointments with his pockets full. However, Vespasian used his time in North Africa making friends instead of money; something that would be far more valuable in the years to come. During his time in North Africa, he found himself in financial difficulties and was forced to mortgage his estates to his brother. To revive his fortunes he turned to the mule

Mule

In its common modern meaning, a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.Mules are classified as an F1 hybrid.The term "mule" was formerly applied to the infertile offspring of any two creatures of different species....
trade and gained the nickname mulio (mule-driver).

Returning from Africa, Vespasian toured Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
in Nero

Nero

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus , born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and final Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty....
's retinue, but lost Imperial favour after paying insufficient attention (some sources suggest he fell asleep) during one of the Emperor's recitals on the lyre

Lyre

The lyre is a string instrument well known for its use in classical antiquity and later. The recitations of the Ancient Greece were accompanied by lyre playing....
, and found himself in the political wilderness.

Great Jewish Revolt

However, in 66, Vespasian was appointed to conduct the war in Judea

Judea

Judea or Jud?a is the name given to the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel , an area now divided between Israel and the West Bank ....
, which was threatening unrest throughout the East. A revolt there had killed the previous governor and routed Licinius Mucianus

Mucianus

Gaius Licinius Mucianus was a general, statesman, and writer of ancient Rome.His name shows that he had passed by adoption from the Mucius to the Licinius gens....
, the governor of Syria

Syria (Roman province)

Syria was a Roman province, annexed in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursuing victory in the Third Mithridatic War....
, when he tried to restore order. Two legions, with eight cavalry squadrons and 10 auxiliary cohorts, were therefore dispatched under the command of Vespasian to add to the one already there. His elder son, Titus, served on his staff. During this time he became the patron of Flavius Josephus, a Jew

Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
ish resistance leader turned Roman agent who would go on to write his people's history in Greek

Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
. In the end, thousands of Jews were killed and many towns destroyed by the Romans, who successfully re-established control over Judea. Vespasian served for a time as procurator

List of Kings of Judea

This page lists rulers of Judea and other related Jewish Kingdoms from the Maccabean Rebellion to the final Roman annexations....
for Judaea; he is remembered by Jews as a fair and humane official, in contrast to the notorious Herod the Great

Herod the Great

Herod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great , was a Roman Empire client state of Israel. Herod is known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and other parts of the ancient world, including the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, sometimes referred to as Herod's Temple....
.

Josephus

Josephus

Josephus , also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu and, after he became a Roman citizenship, as Titus Flavius Josephus, was a first-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70....
wrote that after the Roman Legio X Fretensis

Legio X Fretensis

Legio decima Fretensis of the sea strait") was a Roman legion levied by Augustus in 41/40 BC to fight during the period of Roman Civil War that started the dissolution of the Roman Republic....
accompanied by Vespasian destroyed Jericho on June 21, 68

Year 68 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar....
, he took a group of Jews who could not swim (possibly Essenes

Essenes

The Essenes were, strictly speaking, a Jewish religious group that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE. Being much fewer in number than the Pharisees and the Sadducees the Essenes lived in various cities but congregated in communal life dedicated to asceticism, voluntary poverty, and abstinence from worldly pleasures, i...
from Qumran

Qumran

Qumran is located on a dry plateau about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea in the West Bank, just next to the Israeli kibbutz of Kalia, West Bank....
), fettered them, and threw them into the Dead Sea

Dead Sea

For the Brian Keene book of the same name, see Dead Sea The Dead Sea is a salt lake between Israel and the West Bank to the west, and Jordan to the east....
to test its legendary buoyancy

Buoyancy

In physics, buoyancy is the upward force that keeps things afloat. The net upward buoyancy force is equal to the magnitude of the weight of fluid displaced by the body....
. Sure enough, the Jews shot back up after being thrown in from boats and floated calmly on top of the sea.

Year of Four Emperors

After the death of Nero in 68, Rome saw a succession of short-lived emperors and a year of civil war

Civil war

Galba

Otho

Vitellius

Aulus Vitellius Germanicus, born Aulus Vitellius and commonly known as Vitellius , was a Roman Emperors who reigned from 16 April 69 to 22 December of the same year....
. Otho's supporters, looking for another candidate to support, settled on Vespasian.

According to Suetonius, a prophecy ubiquitous in the Eastern provinces claimed that from Judaea would come the future rulers of the world. Vespasian eventually believed that this prophecy applied to him, and found a number of omen

Omen

An omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. Omens may be considered "good" or "bad", but the term is more often used in a foreboding sense, as with the word "ominous"....
s, oracle

Oracle

An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophecy opinion; an infallible authority, usually Spirituality in nature....
s, and portents that reinforced this belief.

He also found encouragement in Mucianus, the governor of Syria; and, although Vespasian was a strict disciplinarian and reformer of abuses, Vespasian's soldiers were thoroughly devoted to him. All eyes in the East were now upon him. Mucianus and the Syrian legions were eager to support him. While he was at Caesarea, he was proclaimed emperor (July 1, 69

Year 69 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar....
), first by the army in Egypt

Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
under Tiberius Julius Alexander

Tiberius Julius Alexander

Tiberius Julius Alexander was an Equestrian governor and general in the Roman Empire. Born into a wealthy Jewish family of Alexandria but abandoning or neglecting the Judaism, he rose to become Promagistrate of Iudaea Province under Claudius....
, and then by his troops in Judaea (July 11 according to Suetonius, July 3 according to Tacitus).

Nevertheless, Vitellius

Vitellius

Gaul

Gaul is the name used for the region of Western Europe comprising part of present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River Rhine....
and the Rhineland

Rhineland

The Rhineland is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. After the collapse of the First French Empire in the early 19th century, the German-speaking regions at the middle and lower course of the Rhine were annexed to the kingdom of Prussia....
. But the feeling in Vespasian's favour quickly gathered strength, and the armies of Moesia

Moesia

Moesia was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the areas of modern Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania along the south bank of the Danube River....
, Pannonia

Pannonia

Pannonia is an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
, and Illyricum

Illyricum

Illyricum can refer to:* Illyricum * Diocese of Illyricum* Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum...
soon declared for him, and made him the de facto master of half of the Roman world.

While Vespasian himself was in Egypt securing its grain supply, his troops entered Italy from the northeast under the leadership of M. Antonius Primus

Marcus Antonius Primus

Marcus Antonius Primus was a Roman Empire general.Primus was born at Tolosa in Gaul. During the reign of Nero, he was resident in Rome and a member of the Senate, from which he was expelled for forgery in connection with a will and was banished from the city....
. They defeated Vitellius's army (which had awaited him in Mevania

Mevania

Mevania , an ancient Roman town and municipium of , in the Augustan Italian Regio VI. It lay on the western branch of the Via Flaminia, 13 km WSW of Forum Flaminii where the branches rejoin....
) at Bedriacum (or Betriacum), sacked Cremona

Cremona

Cremona is a city in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left shore of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments....
and advanced on Rome. They entered Rome after furious fighting. In the resulting confusion, the Capitol was destroyed by fire and Vespasian's brother Sabinus was killed by a mob.

On receiving the tidings of his rival's defeat and death at Alexandria

Alexandria

Alexandria , with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports....
, the new emperor at once forwarded supplies of urgently needed grain to Rome, along with an edict or a declaration of policy, in which he gave assurance of an entire reversal of the laws of Nero, especially those relating to treason

Treason

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more serious acts of loyalty to one's sovereignty or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife ....
. While in Egypt he visited the Temple of Serapis

Serapis

Serapis was a Syncretism Hellenistic-ancient Egypt god in classical antiquity. His most renowned temple was at Alexandria,. Under Ptolemy I of Egypt, efforts were made to integrate Egyptian religion with that of their Hellenic rulers....
, where reportedly he experienced a vision

Vision (religion)

In spirituality including religion, visions comprise inspirational renderings, generally of a future state and/or of a mythologyical being, and are believed to come from a deity, sometimes directly or indirectly via prophets, and serve to inspire or prod believers as part of a revelation or an Epiphany ....
. Later he was confronted by two labourers who were convinced that he possessed a divine power that could work miracle

Miracle

File:Folio 171r - The Raising of Lazarus.jpgA miracle is a sensibly perceptible interruption of the laws of nature, such that can only be explained by divine intervention, and is sometimes associated with a miracle-worker....
s.

Vespasian as emperor

Aftermath of the civil war

Vespasian was declared emperor by the Senate while he was in Egypt in December of 69 (the Egyptians had declared him emperor in June of 69. In the short-term, administration of the empire was given to Mucianus

Mucianus

Gaius Licinius Mucianus was a general, statesman, and writer of ancient Rome.His name shows that he had passed by adoption from the Mucius to the Licinius gens....
who was aided by Vespasian's son, Domitian

Domitian

Titus Flavius Domitianus , commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death. Domitian was the last emperor of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Domitian's father Vespasian , his elder brother Titus , and that of Domitian himself...
. Mucianus started off Vespasian's rule with tax reform that was to restore the empire's finances. After Vespasian arrived in Rome in mid-70, Mucianus continued to press Vespasian to collect as many taxes as possible.

Vespasian and Mucianus renewed old taxes and instituted new ones, increased the tribute of the provinces, and kept a watchful eye upon the treasury officials. The Latin proverb

Proverb

A proverb , also called a byword or nayword, is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity....
"Pecunia non olet

Pecunia non olet

Pecunia non olet is a Latin saying.The Roman Emperor Vespasian reintroduced a urine tax on public toilets within Rome's now famous Cloaca Maxima system....
" ("Money does not smell") may have been created when he had introduced a urine tax

Urine tax

Urine Tax was a tax levied by the Ancient Rome emperor Nero in the 1st century upon the collection of urine. The lower classes of Roman society urinated into pots which were emptied into cesspools....
on public toilets. By his own example of simplicity of life — he caused something of a scandal when it was made known he took his own boots off — he initiated a marked improvement in the general tone of society in many respects.

In early 70, Vespasian was still in Egypt, the source of Rome's grain supply, and had not yet left for Rome. According to Tacitus

Tacitus

Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman Senate and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories —examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those that reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors....
, his trip was delayed due to bad weather. Modern historians theorize that Vespasian had been and was continuing to consolidate support from the Egyptians before departing. Stories of a divine Vespasian healing people circulated in Egypt. During this period, protests erupted in Alexandria over his new tax policies and grain shipments were held up. Vespasian eventually restored order and grain shipments to Rome resumed.

In addition to the uprising in Egypt, unrest and civil war continued in the rest of the empire in 70. In Judea, rebellion had continued from 66. Vespasian's son, Titus

Titus

Second Temple

The Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Judaism worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot....
in 70. According to Eusebius, Vespasian then ordered all descendants of the royal line of David

David

David , was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. He is depicted as a righteous king, although not without fault, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet ....
to be hunted down, causing the Jews to be persecuted from province to province. Several modern historians have suggested that Vespasian, already having been told by Josephus that he was prophesied to become emperor whilst in Judaea, was probably reacting to other widely-known Messianic prophecies circulating at the time, to suppress any rival claimants arising from that dynasty.

In January of the same year, an uprising occurred in Gaul

Gaul

Batavian rebellion

The Revolt of the Batavi took place in the Roman province of Germania Inferior between 69 and 70 AD. It was an uprising against Roman rule by the Batavi and other tribes in the province and in Gaul....
. This rebellion was headed by Gaius Julius Civilis

Gaius Julius Civilis

Gaius Julius Civilis was the leader of the Batavian rebellion against the Romans in 69. By his nomen, it can be told that he was made a Roman citizen by either Augustus or Caligula....
and Julius Sabinus

Julius Sabinus

Julius Sabinus was a Gaul of the Lingones at the time of the Batavian rebellion of AD69. He claimed to be the great-grandson of Caesar on the grounds that his great-grandmother had been Caesar's lover during the Gallic war....
. Sabinus, claiming he was descended from Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

'Gaius Julius Caesar' , July 13, 100 BC ? March 15, 44 BC,) was a Roman Republic military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, declared himself emperor of Gaul. The rebellion defeated and absorbed two Roman legions before it was suppressed by Vespasian's brother-in-law, Quintus Petillius Cerialis

Quintus Petillius Cerialis

Quintus Petilius Cerialis Caesius Rufus was a Ancient Rome general.His name suggests that he was an Adoption in Rome of a Caesius family into the Petilii....
, by the end of 70.

Arrival in Rome and gathering support

In mid-70, Vespasian first came to Rome. Vespasian immediately embarked on a series of efforts to stay in power and prevent future revolts. He offered gifts to many in the military and much of the public. Soldiers loyal to Vitellius were dismissed or punished. He also restructured the Senatorial and Equestrian orders, removing his enemies and adding his allies. Regional autonomy of Greek provinces was repealed. Additionally, he made significant attempts to control public perception of his rule.

Propaganda campaign

Many modern historians note the increased amount of propaganda that appeared during Vespasian's reign. Stories of a supernatural emperor that was destined to rule circulated in the empire. Nearly one-third of all coins minted in Rome under Vespasian celebrated military victory or peace. The word vindex was removed from coins as to not remind the public of rebellious Vindex

Vindex

Gaius Iulius Vindex, of a noble Gaulish family of Aquitania given senatorial status under Claudius, was a Roman Empire governor in the province of Gallia Lugdunensis....
. Construction projects bore inscriptions praising Vespasian and condemning previous emperors. A temple of peace was constructed in the forum as well. Vespasian approved histories written under his reign, assuring biases against him were removed.

Vespasian also gave financial rewards to ancient writers. The ancient historians that lived through the period such as Tacitus

Tacitus

Suetonius

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was an equestrian and a historian during the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies on the battles of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar until Domitian, entitled On the Life of the Caesars....
, Josephus

Josephus

Pliny the Elder

Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient author, naturalist or natural philosopher and naval and military commander of some importance who wrote Natural History ....
speak suspiciously well of Vespasian while condemning the emperors that came before him. Tacitus admits that his status was elevated by Vespasian, Josephus identifies Vespasian as a patron and savior, and Pliny dedicated his Natural Histories to Vespasian, Titus.

Those that spoke against Vespasian were punished. A number of stoic philosophers were accused of corrupting students with inappropriate teachings and were expelled from Rome. Helvidius Priscus

Helvidius Priscus

Construction and conspiracies

Between 71 and 79, much of Vespasian's reign is a mystery. Historians report that Vespasian ordered the construction of several buildings in Rome. Additionally, he survived several conspiracies against him.

Vespasian helped rebuild Rome after the civil war. He added the temple of Peace and the temple to the Deified Claudius. In 75, he erected a colossal statue of Apollo

Apollo

In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Twelve Olympians. The ideal of the kouros , Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; archery; medicine and healing; music, poetry, and the arts; and more....
, begun under Nero

Nero

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus , born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and final Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty....
, and he dedicated a stage of the theater of Marcellus. He also began construction of the Colosseum.

Suetonius claims that Vespasian was met with "constant conspiracies" against him. Only one conspiracy is known specifically, though. In 78 or 79, Eprius Marcellus and Aulus Caecina Alienus

Aulus Caecina Alienus

Aulus Caecina Alienus, Roman general, was quaestor of Hispania Baetica in 68.On the death of Nero, he attached himself to Galba, who appointed him to the command of a legion in upper Germany....
attempted to kill Vespasian. Why these men turned against Vespasian is not known.

Military pursuits and death

In 78, Agricola

Gnaeus Julius Agricola

Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman Empire general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Roman Britain. His biography, the Agricola , was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him....
went to Britain

Roman Britain

Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia....
, and both extended and consolidated the Roman dominion in that province, pushing his way into what is now Scotland

Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
. On June 23 of the following year, Vespasian died of an intestinal inflammation which led to excessive diarrhea

Diarrhea

In medicine, diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea , is characterized by frequent loose or liquid bowel movements. The spelling of "diarrhea" is an appropriation of the Greek "diarrhoia" meaning "a flowing through." ....
. According to Suetonius

Suetonius

Imperial cult (Ancient Rome)

The imperial cult in ancient Rome was the worship of a few select Roman Emperors as Roman godss once they were deceased; the only emperor to declare himself a god while still living was Domitian which caused outrage....
").

Views on Vespasian

Vespasian could be liberal to impoverished Senators and equestrians and to cities and towns desolated by natural calamity. He was especially generous to men of letters and rhetors, several of whom he pensioned with salaries of as much as 1,000 gold pieces a year. Quintilian

Quintilian

Marcus Fabius Quintilianus was a Roman Empire rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in Middle ages schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing....
is said to have been the first public teacher who enjoyed this imperial favor.

Pliny the Elder

Pliny the Elder

Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient author, naturalist or natural philosopher and naval and military commander of some importance who wrote Natural History ....
's work, the Natural History, was written during Vespasian's reign, and dedicated to Vespasian's son Titus. Some of the philosophers who talked idly of the good times of the Republic

Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
, and thus indirectly encouraged conspiracy, provoked Vespasian into reviving the obsolete penal laws against this profession. However, only one, Helvidius Priscus

Helvidius Priscus

Helvidius Priscus, Stoicism philosopher and statesman, lived during the reigns of Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian.Like his father-in-law, Publius Clodius Thrasea Paetus, he was distinguished for his ardent and courageous republicanism....
, was put to death, and he had affronted the Emperor by studied insults. "I will not kill a dog that barks at me," were words expressing the temper of Vespasian. Vespasian was indeed noted for mildness. According to Suetonius, 12 Caesars, "Vespasian", 13. He bore the frank language of his friends, the quips of pleaders, and the impudence of the philosophers with the greatest patience. Though Licinius Mucianus, a man of notorious unchastity, presumed upon his services to treat Vespasian with scant respect, he never had the heart to criticize him except privately and then only to the extent of adding to a complaint made to a common friend, the significant words: "I at least am a man." He was also noted for loyalty to the people, for example, much money was spent on public works and the restoration and beautification of Rome: a new forum, the Temple of Peace, the public baths and the Colosseum

Colosseum

Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
, the urinals are called "vespasiano", probably in reference to a tax the emperor placed on urine collection (useful due to its ammoniac content; see Pay toilet

Pay toilet

A pay toilet is a Toilet#Public toilets that requires money payment of any individual to use. It may be street furniture or be inside a building, e.g....
).

In later literature

Marcus Didius Falco
Marcus Didius Falco

Marcus Didius Falco is the central character and narrator in a series of novels by Lindsey Davis. Using the conceits of modern detective stories , Davis portrays the world of the Roman Empire under Vespasian....
novels
The Course of Honour, a novel by Lindsey Davis
Lindsey Davis

Lindsey Davis, historical novelist, was born in Birmingham, England in 1949. Having taken a degree in English literature at Oxford University , she became a Civil service....
Edward Rutherfurd
Edward Rutherfurd

Edward Rutherfurd is primarily known as a writer of epic historical novels. His debut novel Sarum set the pattern for his work with a ten-thousand year storyline....
's historical fiction
Historical fiction

Historical fiction is a sub-genre of fiction that often portrays fictional accounts or dramatization of historical figures or events. Writers of stories in this genre, while penning fiction, nominally attempt to capture the spirit, manners, and social conditions of the persons or time presented in the story, with due attention paid to period...
novel Sarum contains an account of one the protagonists' (a Celtic chief) meeting Vespasian during his campaign through southern Britannia.
Vespasian, as legate under Aulus Plautius, is a regular secondary character in Simon Scarrow
Simon Scarrow

Simon Scarrow is a United Kingdom-based author, born in Nigeria and now based in Norfolk. He completed a master's degree at the University of East Anglia after working at the Inland Revenue, and then went into teacher as a lecturer at City College Norwich....
's Cato series.

Bibliography

Primary sources

Tacitus, Histories, English translation
, Latin text with English translation
, and , Latin text with English translation
Flavius Josephus, The War of the Jews, Books 2, 3 and 4, English translation

Secondary material

Ivar Lissner, "Power and Folly: The Story of the Caesars". Jonathan Cape Ltd., London, 1958
Barbara Levick, Vespasian (Roman Imperial Biographies), Routledge, 1999. ISBN 0-415-16618-7 (hbk). ISBN 0-415-33866-2 (pbk, 2005)
Biography on .
entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith