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Kass Evans, M.A., M.A., M.Ln.
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| Kass Evans Home Alexander Home Social World Family Scholarship Bibliography |
| Alexander's Rome: The People | ||
The novel Victory's Crossing about a young Alexander the Alabarch assumes that Alexander had some level of acquaintance with each of the people below. This assumption is based on the historical evidence that Alexander was "old friends" with Claudius and the "guardian" for Antonia Minor. Since Claudius never travelled to Egypt, modern scholars suggest that Alexander must have spent some time in Rome where they became friends. If Alexander spent time in Rome closely acquainted with Claudius and subsequently was appointed "guardian" for Antonia Minor (probably of her estates in Egypt) it is reasonable to further assume that Alexander had at least some level of acquaintance with Claudius' other family members.
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Claudius? (identification uncertain) Tiberius Claudius Nero. This bust was identified in the Capitoline Museum as Nero but was probably mis-identified since it bears no resemblance to the many surviving sculptures of Nero. The author has tentatively identified it as Claudius based on common elements with known busts of Claudius such as the heart shaped face, protruding ears, large nose with bump, hair texture, etc. (Image by the author of bust in the Capitoline Museum, Rome) |
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Germanicus (Claudius' older brother) Julius Caesar Germanicus - Germanicus' first name is unknown (Image by the author of bust in the Capitoline Museum, Rome) |
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Antonia Minor (Claudius' mother) Antonia Minor was the second daughter from the marriage of Octavia (Augustus' sister) and Marcus Antonius and was born prior to his affair with Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. She was married to Livia's second son Drusus and had three children in order: Germanicus, Livilla, Claudius. Drusus died a year after Claudius was born and Antonia never remarried.
Antonia is credited with ending the reign of terror of the Praetorian Prefect Sejanus (also a character in Victory's Crossing) when she wrote her brother-in-law the reigning Emperor Tiberius and exposed a plot.
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Augustus as Pontifex Maximus Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus - following his adoption by Julius Caesar, but evidence suggests that he regularly dropped the Octavianus to emphasize his inherited role. Augustus was Uncle to Antonia, Great Uncle to Claudius, initially step-father to Tiberius until he formally adopted him. (Images by the author of statue in the Palazzo Massimo, Rome) |
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Tiberius (Claudius' uncle) Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus after he was adopted by Augustus and became Emperor. Tiberius was the older son on Livia by her first marriage which made him, Antonia Minor's brother-in-law and Uncle to Claudius and Germanicus until Tiberius formally adopted Germanicus in 4 AD. (Image by the author of bust in the Capitoline Museum, Rome) | |
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Livia (Claudius' grandmother / father's mother) Livia had two sons by her first marriage, Tiberius (adopted by Augustus and later became Emperor) and Drusus the husband of Antonia Minor and father of Germanicus and Claudius. Her second marriage to Augustus yielded no children but she continued for decades to be a power in Rome's politics. (Images by the author of two busts in the Palazzo Massimo, Rome) |
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Octavia (Claudius' grandmother / mother's mother) wife of Marcus Antonius Octavia was the beloved older sister of Augustus (formerly Octavian) and mother of Antonia Minor (Image by the author of bust in the Palazzo Massimo, Rome)
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