Tiberius Gemellus

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Tiberius Gemellus, contemporary representation on a coin

Tiberius Iulius Caesar Nero (* 19 ; † 37 or 38 ), called Tiberius Gemellus , was a son of the younger Drusus and Livilla and thus a grandson of Tiberius and a cousin of Caligula . He was given the nickname Gemellus ("twin") because he had a twin brother, Tiberius Germanicus Caesar, who died as a child.

It is sometimes assumed that the true father of the twins could have been the Praetorian prefect Sejan , since he was Livilla's lover at the time.

Life

His father Drusus died under mysterious circumstances when Gemellus was four years old. It is believed that he was poisoned at the instigation of Sejan. His mother Livilla was executed in December 31, after she had previously been accused of complicity in the death of Drusus by Sejan's exiled wife, Apicata .

Not much is known about the life of the Gemellus as it was largely ignored by the imperial family. This was shown, for example, in the fact that one of the essential stages of his youth, the award of the toga virilis , was only celebrated at the age of 18 - the usual age for this was 14.

At the age of twelve, Gemellus and his cousin Caligula were called to the island of Capri , where Tiberius lived. The emperor made both joint heirs, but it was clear that Tiberius preferred Caligula over Gemellus.

Tiberius died on March 16, 37 and Caligula became emperor. For a short time he made Gemellus his adopted son, a gesture that did not last long. At Caligula's orders, Gemellus was killed in late 37 or early 38 because he was suspected of having taken advantage of an illness of the emperor to conspire against him.

Little information has been recorded on Gemellus, most of it related to material on Caligula.

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personal data
SURNAME Tiberius Gemellus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tiberius Iulius Caesar Nero
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Grandson of Tiberius and cousin Caligula
DATE OF BIRTH 19th
DATE OF DEATH 37 or 38