ABSTRACT
In ad 26, Tiberius left Rome, ostensibly to dedicate temples in Campania. However, from there he went across to Capreae, taking up a retirement in the Villa Iovis; he never returned to Rome. Contemporary and subsequent generations, because they could not understand the reasons for this retirement, have surrounded it with speculation, often of the most malevolent kind. Yet, as we have seen (in Chapter 7), many of the policies and actions of Tiberius in the empire which have been seen as sound, even inspired, date from this period. It is clear, therefore, that whatever the reasons for and the course of that retirement, Tiberius Caesar did not lose his grip on affairs.
