ABSTRACT
The new governor was Quintus Veranius and the full significance of his appointment, in association with a change in the Imperial policy for Britain, was first recognised by Professor Eric Birley as long ago as 1952.1 There is much useful information about Veranius, his father, of the same name, who was with Germanicus in Asia, became the first governor of Cappadocia (Ann. ii. 56), was after the death of Germanicus involved in the accusations against Piso (Ann. iii. 10, 13) and was afterwards rewarded by Tiberius with a priesthood (Ann. iii. 19) (though he never gained the consulship). His son would thus have had an excellent start, and on the basis of an inscription from Cyran in Lycia,2 which gives details of his earlier career, Eric Birley has shown how the backing of the Emperor ensured a rapid advance.3
The assessment of Tiberius on the potential of the young Veranius was not lost on Claudius,4 who had good reasons for showing gratitude towards Veranius, since he played a significant role in negotiating the new Emperor’s acceptance by the Senate. The members of that body had overlooked the existence of Claudius immediately after the death of Caligula, and, in fact, had started to annul the Imperial decrees in an attempt to restore the Republic.
