Historia Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte Revue d’Histoire Ancienne Journal of Ancient History Rivista di Storia Antica Historia Band 63  Heft 3  2014 © Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart THE VIRTUES OF TIBERIUS IN VELLEIUS’ HISTORIES * ABSTRACT: This article examines in the first place how Velleius’ Histories work as a hinge between the republican historiographical tradition and the new way of writing history under the rule of a princeps. I will argue that through the concept of virtue, especially shown in the emperor Tiberius, Velleius stresses the continuity of Roman history; virtus is the strand which works as the unifying link in the development of the succession from Republic to Empire. On the other hand, I will show that through the way in which Velleius writes the Tiberian narrative, the author assigns a special role to the virtues he describes, where political ideology and historical reality blend together. KEYWORDS: Velleius, Tiberius, virtues, historical writing, political change. Any attempt to give an account of the significance of Velleius’ perception of the Tiberian period entails distancing ourselves from what we might term the ‘traditional history of Rome’ – known to us mainly through Tacitus’ Annals – and being introduced to a first person version of history, in which experience is the source of knowledge. This raises questions about the type of document that we are dealing with and the validity of this work as a historical source of information on the Tiberian period. Velleius was a soldier serving under Tiberius before the latter became emperor of Rome. His perception of Tiberius is totally different from that of the court. He was neither an aristocrat nor had he been harmed by the arrival of the imperial regime – unlike most of the aristocrats and senators. Whatever he had become, he had Tiberius to be grateful for: military tribune in Thracia and Macedonia; praefectus equitum in Tiberius’ army in Germany in the year A.D. 4; quaestor, in the year A.D. 6; Tiberius’ legate (who was his leader in the wars of Dalmatia, Pannonia and in the successive Rhine campaigns); and praetor in the year A.D. 15, together with his brother. 1 At least two questions immediately come to mind: how many such men did the Empire have, and why should we set more store by the vision of someone like Tacitus, than by that of a soldier who, like so many others, has benefited from the Principate? However, the richness and liveliness of a text written by an eyewitness is impaired by the unconditional admiration of the author for Tiberius, as Velleius’ critics have duly noted. For some scholars in the past, the panegyrical tone with which Velleius referred * This paper is part of Fondecyt Project n° 11090191. 1 Cf. Vell., 2.124. Urheberrechtlich geschütztes Material. Jede Verwertung außerhalb der engen Grenzen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ist unzulässig und strafbar. Das gilt insbesondere für Vervielfältigungen, Übersetzungen, Mikroverfilmungen und die Einspeicherung und Verarbeitungen in elektronischen Systemen. © Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2014