ABSTRACT
The fusion of public and private functions is neatly shown for Claudius by his operating on official business at his 'headquarters' at the holiday resort of Baiae. Like Gaim, Claudius received the title Augustus ;md all significant povvers at a stroke - against the wishes of the majority of the senate. He refused the title Father ofhis Country (Pater Patriae), never held by Tiberi us, but took it in January, 42, conceivably \vhen news broke of Appius Silanus' 'conspiracy'. The Principate was now a single office and Claudius was Emperor for a day before the senate confirmed him; at Vespasian's accession to power nearly twenty-nine years later this interval extended to a period of five months, from r July, 69, when he was proclaimed by his troops, until 20 December, when they captured Rome and forced senatorial
recogmtwn. The day that Vespasian celebrated as the anniversary of his accession (his dies imperil) was July, and he renewed his tribunician power on that date. The proclamation by the troops was given overriding legitimacy. This both emphasized Vespasian's blatant dependence on them and paradoxically had a primeval legitimacy, since Rome's supreme assembly, the Comitia Centuriata, or Roman people divided into their centuries, was also in origin the Roman people under arms. Designation to the consulship was desirable. Gaius had taken the suffect post available three and a half months after Tiberius' death; Claudius accepted the next regular consulship (42). The supreme pontificate, which made the Princeps head of the state religion, must be assumed: it had been held by Julius Caesar from 63 BC, by Augustus from 12 BC, and by Tiberius from March, 15; but neither Augustus nor Tiberius had been in a hurry for election.2
