We warmly welcome you to join the upcoming Helsinki Research on the Ancient World (HelRaw) seminar with Marja-Leena Hänninen (University of Tampere).
Title: The death of Germanicus and the women of the Imperial family
The death of Germanicus, the nephew of emperor Tiberius, in 19 CE can be seen as one of the key events in the Imperial family during the reign of Tiberius. This death supposedly increased tensions inside the family, or even tore the family apart. In my paper, the death of Germanicus and its consequences are discussed from the viewpoint of three women of the family: Germanicus’ widow Agrippina the Elder, his mother Antonia the Younger and his grandmother Livia, called officially Julia Augusta at the time. The public view was focused on the funeral and commemoration of Germanicus as well as on the trial against the former governor of Syria, Cn. Calpurnius Piso and his wife, who were accused of the murder of Germanicus. In addition to the narrative of the historian Tacitus, there are contemporary sources of these events, namely inscriptions concerning the official commemoration of Germanicus and the trial against Piso and his wife. Comparison between Tacitus and epigraphic texts illuminates how contemporaries and later generations understood the role of the women of the family in these events.
When: 8.4.2024, at 17:15.
Where: Topelia, D112, Unioninkatu 38
or in Zoom: https://helsinki.zoom.us/j/65731742814?pwd=R0JOZllCcDFKcUVpbk5EMkpmN0U1QT09
Meeting ID: 657 3174 2814
Passcode: 625960
About the Speaker:
Marja-Leena Hänninen, PhD, has a title of docent (associate professor) of ancient history in the University of Tampere. Her research interests include Roman religion, gender, and family in Antiquity which she has examined especially within the context of Ostia. Her recently published book focuses on the women of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.