The exiles of 39: The emperors' sisters and early imperial politics

My Steinmetz presentation will seek to examine a specific historical event using primary and secondary sources, namely the emperor Caligula's exile of his two sisters, Agrippina the Younger and Julia Livilla, in 39 CE for a conspiracy involving their deceased sister's husband, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. This presentation will be based on part of the work I did last year for my scholar's research project, which was to compile a biography of Agrippina the Younger, later empress of Rome and mother of the emperor Nero. I will explain why I chose to study this particular figure, mentioning the challenges in understanding her character, and argue why I believe this particular event, the exile of 41 CE, aids this undertaking. I will therefore first explain the context of the exile and the background of those involved. e.g Agrippina, Caligula and their sister Livilla, as well as their brother-in-law, Marcus Aeimilius Lepidus. I will explain in detail what we know about the alleged conspiracy and exile from ancient sources. Thereafter, I will explain the lack of clarity of the motivations of Agrippina at this juncture and how we understand them affects our ultimate understanding of her character. Did Agrippina actively enter into a conspiracy with those involved, and was it to kill her brother? I will explain how we enter into this question and subsequently answer it affects how we are to view her later role in Rome as empress. The primary sources I will be using are works by Roman historians, largely Suetonius' Life of Caligula and Life of Nero, as well as Cassius Dio's work on the history of Rome. I will also use parts of Tacitus' Annals for context. My secondary sources will include Anthony Barret's biography of Agrippina as well as Judith Ginsberg work on her iconography, Representing Agrippina.