CLAUDIUS

1
CLAUDIUS

• He brought to the city on stone arches the cool
  and abundant founts of the Claudia aqueductand
  at the same time the spring of the new Anio,
  distributing them into many beautiful ornamented
  pools.

2
Birth

• The fourth emperor of the Julio- Claudian
  Dynasty was Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus
  Germanicus better known as Claudius. Claudius was
  born on August 1, 10 B.C. at Lugdunum. He was
  born on the same day an altar was dedicated to
  Augustus. Claudius was given the name Tiberius
  Claudius Drusus at birth.

3
Family

• Father- Nero Claudius Drusus
• Mother- Antonia the younger
• Drususs mother- Livia (was married to
  Augustus)
• Drususs father- Tiberius Claudius Nero
• Antonias mother- Octavia (related to Julius
  Caesar through her father)
• Antonias father- Marcus Antonius
• Claudius had one brother named Germanicus

4
Disabilities

• Claudius was born with a disease many
• believe was cerebral palsy.
• Some of the symptoms were
• partial paralysis
• stammering
• slobbering
• limping

5
Early Years

• When Claudius was only one year old his
  father was killed on a campaign. Claudius was
  kept out of public sight due to his disease. This
  allowed Claudius to spend time reading and
  composing works on the liberal arts, such as
  history. Gaius, as a joke, made Claudius consul
  on July 1, 37 A.D.

6
Accession

• On January 24, 41 A.D. Gaius was assassinated.
• Claudius was the only surviving member of the
  Julio-Claudian Dynasty that was mature enough to
  become emperor.
• He was carried off by the Praetorian Guards later
  that day and was proclaimed emperor.
• Claudius came into power by accident and possibly
  against his will.

7
Emperor
The Emperor Claudius was a capable emperor. He
was married to Agrippina Minor who was later
found to be a part of a conspiracy which killed
Claudius. Claudius was terrified of being killed
during his reign due to the murder of Caligula
before him. Claudius was also known as The
Builder because during his reign he built many
things.
8
Troubles

• The assassination of Gaius by the Praetorian
  Guards left a mark on Claudius. As emperor the
  first thing he did was to deal with Gaius
  assassins. During Claudiuss reign there were
  several attempts to murder him. These attacks
  caused Claudius to act cruelly and quickly when
  he was threatened.

9
The Builder

• Claudius built many things in Rome.
• He built two aqueducts called the Aqua Claudia
  and the Anio Novus.
• Claudius also built a harbor.
• Claudius wanted to supply more food for the
  citizens of Rome by trying to drain the Fucine
  Lake. This project was not finished.

10
Aqua Claudia

• Aqueduct
• started in 38 A.D. by Gaius
• finished by Claudius in 52 A.D.
• 43 miles long
• crossed the Via Labicana and Via Praenestina in
  the form of a double arch.
• Restored in 71 by Vespasian after being out of
  use for nine years.

11
Anio Novus

• Aqueduct Begun by Gaius in 38 A.D.
• Completed in 52 A.D. by Claudius
• Water was taken from the river Anio

12
Coin
13
Coin Interpretation

• On the front of the coin there is a picture of
  Claudiuss head. On the reverse side of the coin
  there is a picture of Claudius shaking hands with
  a soldier. This represents the relationship that
  Claudius had with the Roman army. Claudius kept
  the soldiers busy by campaigning in Britain. The
  coin shows that Claudius and the army had a good
  relationship.

14
Succession

• Claudius had to choose between two for his heir.
  There was Brittanicus, who was the son of
  Claudius and Messalina, and Lucius Domitius
  Ahenobarbus, who was the son of Agrippina by an
  earlier marriage. Agrippina wanted her son to
  succeed Claudius so she did everything she could
  to make that happen. Claudius was persuaded to
  adopt Lucius by Agrippina and Pallas. Lucius took
  the family name Nero and was the chosen successor.

15
Devilish Plan

• Claudius began to fall ill in 52 A.D.
• Agrippina ordered an expert poisoner to poison
  Claudiuss food. The poison was placed on a
  mushroom.
• Claudius ate the mushroom and contracted
  diarrhea.
• A second dose of poison was given on a feather,
  which Claudius was using to help him vomit, to
  make sure he died.

16
Death

• Claudius died the night of October 12, 54 A.D.
• He was buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus and
  deified by Nero.
• Nero called the mushroom the food of the gods
  one night at dinner.

17
Emperor not Forgotten

• Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
  Pontifex Maximus Tribuniciae Potestatis XIV
  Consul V, Imperator XXVII, Pater Patria was
  Claudiuss full title at death.
• Claudius accomplished many things, both good and
  bad, but the worst decision he made was his
  choice for Nero as the successor.

18
Bibliography

• A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Ed.
  Samuel Platner. Oxford University Press, London.
  29 Dec. 2001. http//www.perseus.tufts.edu.cgi-bin
  /ptext?docPerseus3Atext 3A1999.04.0054layout
  locaquaclaudia
• This site gave information on the Aqua Claudia
  and the Anio Novus. It is organized in
  alphabetical order and is easy to read. There
  were also some useful pictures on the site.
• A Visual Compendius of Roman Emperors. Ed.Justin
  D.Paola. 1995. Pennsylvania State University. 12
  Nov. 2001. http//www.roman-emperors.com/
• This site was used for information about
  Claudiuss early life, accession, and scattered
  facts found at the bottom of the site. This site
  was also used for pictures of Claudius.

19

• Internet Ancient History Sourcebook. Ed. Paul
  Halsall. Oct. 2000. 23 Nov. 2001.
  www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/suet-claudius-rolf
  e.html
• This site helped me find a quote form Claudius
  and it is an ancient source. It was hard to read
  in some areas and it is long. This source is full
  of information and is highly recommended.
• Levick, Barbara. Claudius. United Kingdom Yale
  University Press, 1990.
• This book was useful because it had
• interesting pictures that could be scanned.
  The information was a little difficult to follow
  without reading the whole book.

20

• Scarre, Cris. Chronicle of the Roman Emperors.
  London Thames Hudson Ltd, 1995.
• This book was very useful because it supplied a
  sufficient amount of facts about Claudius and was
  easy to read. A lot of information was found in
  this book and was used as a base for my other
  sources
• The Perseus Digital Library. Ed. Gregory Cane. 23
  Nov. 2001 www.perseus.tufts.edu
• The Perseus Digital library is a site that
  covers a broad area of topics. I found pictures
  and information off of this site and it is easy
  to use.