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EXILE IN ANTIQUITY

only do so much, his power in the provinces was qualified, and the lack of supervision of equestrians and freedmen in Rome meant ‘the system’ could be corrupted, and so Claudius became increasingly isolated (pp. 203–4). ‘The Judgement of Pallas’ deals with Claudius’ marriages to Messalina and Agrippina the Younger and considers the fierce treatment of the women in the sources. Chapter 11, ‘Signalling Retreat?’, focusses on the adoption of Nero in A.D. 50 and a new policy of avoiding expensive foreign conflict, coupled with tighter fiscal planning pointing to rigorous planning for the future. ‘The Golden Predicament’ explores Claudius’ legacy after A.D. 54, and his portrayal as either monster or god. O. concludes that Claudius succeeded in stabilising his political position on accession with limited resources and physical disabilities and left a positive mark on the empire – and the Flavians would follow in his footsteps. But the weakness at the heart of the principate was an inability for Claudius’ rule to be transparent and just and to eradicate corruption. O. highlights the ongoing tension within the principate of a military monarchy sat side-by-side with the ‘ideology of a civilian leader’ (p. 259), and any wrestling for power between the princeps and the Senate was always going to end badly for the latter, with long-term penalties for Claudius’ image. The emperor would hog the limelight, the military gloria and the spoils, while everyone else had to indulge in an undignified scuffle for the scraps off his table. O. has pulled off a very difficult trick here because ‘Claudius’ is a difficult subject to pin down, and controlling the multiplicity of sources required to meet the aims of the book requires great dexterity. Working within a set of clearly defined limits has resulted in an in-depth study that, ironically, has allowed us to see something of Claudius ‘the man’, and I, for one, am pleased about that. O.’s book makes us reflect on the evidence, challenges orthodoxy while acknowledging previous scholarship and offers a coherent thesis on how significant Claudius Caesar was to the principate. The book has excellent notes, an extensive bibliography and selected illustrations, and will be of real value to those working on the early first century. This is an outstanding imperial biography.