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Vespasian: Emperor Vespasian
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Vespasian was declared emperor by the Senate while he was in Egypt in December of 69 (the Egyptians had declared him emperor in June of 69. In the short-term, administration of the empire was given to Mucianus who was aided by Vespasian's son, Domitian. Mucianus started off Vespasian's rule with tax reform that was to restore the empire's finances. After Vespasian arrived in Rome in mid-70, Mucianus continued to press Vespanian to collect as many taxes as possible.[1]
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The best source on Vespasian is Tacitus's Histories, but it breaks off after the first year. Suetonius's biography in Lives of the Twelve Caesars is the most complete account but is more interested in the man than in the emperor. For Vespasian and the Jews see Josephus's The Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews. Among modern works the best is Bernard W. Henderson, Five Roman Emperors (1927).
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To reinforce his own position and in order not to grant important positions to forces formerly loyal to Vitellius, which could turn out to have negative consequences for his emperorship, Vespasian reorganized the army. The vast multi-legionary bases on the Rhine and the Danube were split into smaller, more separated camps, because they posed too great a threat politically. Further changes allowed for the legionary forces to be stationed more permanently at a location, quite contrary to the auxiliary units - a consequence of the Gallic revolt. The mixing of nationalities to prevent a dominance of one ethnic group among the auxiliary unit did further safeguard against a revolt. Vespasian considered July 1st, 69 his first day of office, the day his troops proclaimed him emperor. This is further proof that Vespasian owed his emperorship to his army.
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Vespasian fades from political and military importance in the 50's AD. The power of Agrippina (Claudius wife and mother of Nero) was growing, and Vespasian's status as a friend to her enemies (Claudius freedman Narcissus) put him in a tenuous position. He would not be kept from prominence with the imperial court for too long though. By AD 63 he was appointed the proconsular governorship of Africa (a province with a legion certainly, indicating imperial trust) where Vespasian won a reputation for meticulous administrative skills, tempered by severity that made him unpopular with the people. Still, upon his return to Rome, the future emperor found himself a highly respected and influential member of the aristocracy. He earned himself entry into Nero's inner circle, accompanying the emperor on his trip to Greece where Nero pursued his own escapades into the performance arts and athletic competition.
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Vespasian was noted as one of Rome's most parsimonious, and hard working emperors. He set himself the task of reorganizing state finances, which were in a desperate shape after the reign of Nero and the civil war. His most notable project in Rome was to begin the construction of the Coliseum (on the site of a lake in what had once been the palace that Nero built for himself after the great fire of 64). In foriegn affairs, he seems to have deliberately avoided costly foriegn campaigns. This may have contributed to the rise of Dacian power on the Danube, a serious issue in the decades after his death.
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![[Image: Emperor Vespasian]](http://retrieverimages.lycos.com/images/v/e/s/vespasian/i/010.jpg)
Vespasian's reign can be characterised as being very conscientious. He had inherited an empire drained by the excesses of previous emperors and shattered by civil war. Vespasian committed himself to a program of rebuilding and restoration (including the Capitol, burned in A.D. 69). He ... began to construct new buildings; a temple to the deified Claudius (to identify himself as a legitimate heir of the Julio-Claudians); a temple of Peace; and the Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre). Among his other acts, Vespasian reformed the Senatorial and Equestrians orders; induced the Senate to make laws against various form of debauchery; and reduced the backlog of court cases waiting to be heard.
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