ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 deals with the special missions entrusted to members of the imperial family in the western provinces (Spain, Gaul, Germania, and Pannonia). Those were chiefly military in character, and their aim was to conquer areas not yet subjugated by Rome, such as north-western Spain, lands on the right bank of the Rhine, or lands on the Danube. They required deploying considerable forces, and so Augustus entrusted the command in those campaigns to the members of his family closest to him, as that much military power being accumulated in the hands of other commanders could have posed a threat to his position. In the context of Augustus building his position in the state, that would have certainly been undesirable, and so the command of large armies was at that time monopolized by the imperial family. That Augustus and Tiberius entrusted the most crucial campaigns to members of the imperial family should also be seen through the lens of the first two emperors’ dynastic policies, as the missions offered excellent opportunities to present potential successors to, and endorse them with, the army; they also gave the prospective successors a chance to obtain the requisite military and administrative expertise. By performing their tasks efficiently, they could also prove they were worthy candidates for the position of greatest power in the state.
