Introduction

Nero’s suicide on 9 June of 68 CE brought the Julio-Claudian dynasty of imperial Rome to an end. A period of great turmoil ensued, the so-called Year of the Four Emperors, which ended on 20 December 69 when Vitellius was murdered and the Senate acknowledged Titus Flavius Vespasianus as emperor. So began the Flavian era (69–96 CE). Vespasian then faced the challenge of establishing the legitimation and durability of his rule and that of his dynasty in a world marred by civil war and political unrest. An unavoidable aspect of this undertaking was the establishment of Vespasian’s rule in relation to that of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, from its first ruler, Augustus, to its last emperor, Nero, who had thoroughly embedded himself in Rome’s physical structures, material cultures, arts, and peoples.