Titus Vespasianus

Also known as: Titus · Family: Flavian · Role: prince and military commander · First appears: Histories II.1-4

Life events

Titus received a favorable oracle revealing his future and encouraging his ambitions.(Histories II.1-4 · 📍 Paphos)
- “The priest, whose name was Sostratus, seeing that the entrails were uniformly favourable, and that the goddess assented to Titus' ambitious schemes, returned at the moment a brief and ordinary reply, but afterwards sought a private interview and revealed the future to him.”

parent: Vespasian (Vespasian is identified as Titus's father by the surrounding context.) “Before Galba's fall Titus Vespasianus had been dispatched by his father from Judaea to Rome. The ostensible reason of his journey was to show respect to the new emperor, and to solicit some post for which his years now fitted him. However, the popular passion for invention suggested that he had been summoned to be adopted. This rumour was based on the fact that Galba was old and childless: the public never wearies of appointing successors until the choice is made. The character of Titus gave still more colour to it. He seemed capable of filling any position. His appearance lacked neither charm nor dignity. Vespasian's successes also and the utterances of certain oracles further endorsed the rumour”
admired: Berenice (Titus is described as romantically attracted to Berenice.) “Some people believed that his longing to get back to Queen Berenice fired him to return. True, the young man's fancy was attracted by Berenice, but he did not allow this to interfere with business.”
parent: Galba (A rumored adoption and succession, not a confirmed adoption.) “However, the popular passion for invention suggested that he had been summoned to be adopted. This rumour was based on the fact that Galba was old and childless: the public never wearies of appointing successors until the choice is made.”

Extracted from the original text of Tacitus — The Histories & The Annals (Books I-VI) & Agricola. Made with Rho MD.