Following his assassination in September of AD 96, Domitian was penalized with post-mortem memory sanctions. These kind of sanctions are often portrayed by both modern scholars and ancient historians as being implemented relatively uniformly in all of the cases of emperors who were subject to these sanctions. This applies both to the actual body of sanctions which were implemented by the senate, and the enthusiasm with which the populace followed them. While there is some commonality in the levying of sanctions between all condemned individuals, it is important to understand the differences between them in order to comprehend how each was viewed in his own time. In the case of Domitian, the senate punished him with heavy sanctions, and the people obeyed them. However, there is not the same evidence of mob violence against his images by the people, which would prove a dislike for him outside of the political elite. By investigating the evidence for these sanctions in the ancient literary sources, as well as the physical evidence from both inscriptions and sculpted likenesses, a more clear picture than previously presented can be created of the public perception of his reign.
Also, this thesis evaluates the kind of messages that Nerva wanted to send by the way in which he condemned Domitian. Nerva’s history as loyal to the Flavians seems to conflict with his succession on the same day as the murder and the sanctions he put in place against his predecessor. The way in which he chose to deal with the memory of his predecessor is demonstrative of his successful attempt at distancing himself from the previous dynasty. Therefore, a study of the sanctions can both provide information about the perception of the condemned, which has since been lost, and also illustrate the policies of the next regime. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / In Ancient Rome, when an emperor or political figure was assassinated, often the Roman senate would levy sanctions against anything which recalled the memory of the condemned individual, for example, inscriptions and portraits. Some of these sanctions were voted for the emperor Domitian following his assassination in AD 96. By examining the physical evidence of these sanctions in the case of Domitian, some information can be gleaned about the execution of this kind of legislation in general, and how it was specifically done in the case of Domitian. By examining the ancient literary accounts, inscriptions, and sculpted likenesses of this emperor, the extent of these sanctions, as well as the motivations of those ordering them and carrying them out, can be established. In particular, the motivations of his successor, Nerva, in establishing these laws and the sentiments of the people towards Domitian are considered.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/18360 |
| Date | 20 November 2015 |
| Creators | Amiro, Fae |
| Contributors | Beckmann, Martin, George, Michele, Classical Studies |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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