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BANDITS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE
regarded. He not only collected the scum of the area around himself but also
hoodwinked credulous respectable people, including some soldiers, into joining
him. The deception failed, Geta was brought before Vitellius, identified
by his master and subjected to execution ‘in the servile manner’ (in servilem
modum), i.e., crucifixion. 20
We know as little about what impelled Geta to action as we do about
his goals. As to whether he planned to use his band for plundering raids,
plotted socially motivated uprisings of slaves, impoverished freemen and
other social cast-offs, or aimed to set himself up as the avenger of one of the
victims of Nero’s regime, Tacitus is silent. As far as its social composition
is concerned, his band amounts to the standard spectrum of social groups on
which, as we shall see, Tacitus falls back in such cases. The uniform, short
and unsympathetic manner of these and other reports on comparable incidents
expresses rejection and disdain of those involved as well as basic lack
of interest in their motives and aims. Tacitus shaped his narrative (Hist.
2.56–73) to make what Geta did marginal to the march of the Vitellians on
Rome: one symptom of the crisis of the post-Neronian anarchy which, in
comparison with the events to follow, was no big deal.
2 Clemens: avenger of Agrippa Postumus
The case of the slave, Clemens, who set himself up as the avenger of Agrippa
Postumus is classic and has come down to us in three versions. The most
important is the detailed account given by Tacitus in the ‘Annals’. 21 Suetonius
devotes just one sentence to the incident, 22 while Cassius Dio provides a
hasty description which more or less tallies with that of Tacitus. 23
Let us begin with Tacitus, who tells us that Clemens, on the news of the
death of Augustus, sought to free his master, Agrippa Postumus, 24 in exile
on the island of Planasia (south-west of Elba) and to get him to the legions
stationed on the Rhine. 25 However, his vessel arrived too late: 26 Agrippa
Postumus had already been slain. In these changed circumstances Clemens
decided to avenge his master. First he obtained possession of the urn containing
the ashes of the murdered man. Whether he did this to honour
Agrippa’s memory or, prudently, to eliminate a piece of evidence for his
death, is open to speculation. 27 Then, for a while, Clemens hid himself away
in Etruria, allowing his hair and beard to grow. He next spread the rumour
that Agrippa Postumus was still alive, and pretended to be him. He was
fortunate in being much the same age as Agrippa Postumus and very similar
to him in looks. Tacitus says that there were plenty of mad and discontented
people scheming revolution and prepared to join his movement. 28 In the
end, half of Italy, including Rome, believed that Agrippa had been saved
by the gods. In Ostia preparations were made to give the false Agrippa a
triumphal reception. Tiberius first dithered between taking military action
or waiting until the danger blew over before finally opting for intervention.
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