For other people named Domitian, see Domitian (disambiguation).
Domitian
Bust in the Louvre
Roman emperor
Reign
14 September 81 – 18 September 96
Predecessor
Titus
Successor
Nerva
Born
24 October 51 Rome, Italy, Roman Empire
Died
18 September 96(96-09-18) (aged 44) Rome, Italy
Burial
Rome
Spouse
Domitia Longina (m. 70)
Issue
Flavius Caesar[1]
Flavia[2][a]
Vespasian Minor (possibly adopted)[4]
Domitian Minor (possibly adopted)[4]
Names
Titus Flavius Domitianus (birth)
Caesar Domitianus (69–81)[5]
Regnal name
Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus
Dynasty
Flavian
Father
Vespasian
Mother
Domitilla
Roman imperial dynasties
Flavian dynasty
Chronology
Vespasian
69–79 AD
Titus
79–81 AD
Domitian
81–96 AD
Family
Gens Flavia
Flavian tree
Category:Flavian dynasty
Preceded by Year of the Four Emperors
Followed by Nerva–Antonine dynasty
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Domitian (/dəˈmɪʃən,-iən/, də-MISH-ən, -ee-ən; Latin: Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a ruthless but efficient autocrat",[6] his authoritarian style of ruling put him at sharp odds with the Senate, whose powers he drastically curtailed.
Domitian had a minor and largely ceremonial role during the reigns of his father and brother. After the death of his brother, Domitian was declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard. His 15-year reign was the longest since that of Tiberius.[b] As emperor, Domitian strengthened the economy by revaluing the Roman coinage, expanded the border defenses of the empire, and initiated a massive building program to restore the damaged city of Rome. Significant wars were fought in Britain, where his general Agricola attempted to conquer Caledonia (Scotland), and in Dacia, where Domitian was unable to procure a decisive victory against King Decebalus. Domitian's government exhibited strong authoritarian characteristics. Religious, military, and cultural propaganda fostered a cult of personality, and by nominating himself perpetual censor, he sought to control public and private morals.
As a consequence, Domitian was popular with the people and the army, but considered a tyrant by members of the Roman Senate. Domitian's reign came to an end in 96 when he was assassinated by court officials. He was succeeded the same day by his advisor Nerva. After his death, Domitian's memory was condemned to oblivion by the Senate, while senatorial and equestrian authors such as Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, and Suetonius propagated the view of Domitian as a cruel and paranoid tyrant. Modern revisionists instead have characterized Domitian as a ruthless but efficient autocrat whose cultural, economic, and political programs provided the foundation of the peaceful second century.
^Garzetti, Albino (2014). From Tiberius to the Antonines: A History of the Roman Empire AD 14–192. Routledge Revivals. Routledge. pp. 266, 833. ISBN 978-1-317-69844-9.
^Deroux, Carl (2010). Studies in Latin Literature and Roman History. Vol. 323. Latomus. p. 283.
^Vagi, David L. (2012). Coinage and History of the Roman Empire, C. 82 B.C. – A.D. 480: History. Taylor & Francis. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-57958-316-3.
^ abHammond, Mason (1956). "The Transmission of the Powers of the Roman Emperor from the Death of Nero in A.D. 68 to That of Alexander Severus in A.D. 235". Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome. 24: 61–133. doi:10.2307/4238640. JSTOR 4238640.
^Cooley, Alison E. (2012). The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy. Cambridge University Press. p. 491. ISBN 978-0-521-84026-2.
^Cite error: The named reference gowing-domitian-review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
Domitian (/dəˈmɪʃən, -iən/, də-MISH-ən, -ee-ən; Latin: Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian...
The Palace of Domitian was built as Roman emperor Domitian's official residence in 81–92 AD and was used as such by subsequent emperors. Its remains sit...
encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69–79), and his two sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96). The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known as...
The Stadium of Domitian (Italian: Stadio di Domiziano), also known as the Circus Agonalis, was located to the north of the Campus Martius in Rome, Italy...
50–55 – c. 126–130s AD) was a Roman empress and wife to the Roman emperor Domitian. She was the youngest daughter of the general and consul Gnaeus Domitius...
in 71 and 90 during the reigns of Vespasian and Domitian, respectively. On 19 September 96, Domitian was assassinated in a palace conspiracy involving...
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He was deified by the Roman Senate and succeeded by his younger brother Domitian. Titus was born in Rome, probably on 30 December 39 AD, as the eldest son...
statues of the gods when outside of the temple during festivals Gateways of Domitian and Trajan the Roman Kiosk The Dendera Temple is not to be confused with...
Temple of Domitian, is a Roman temple dedicated to the Imperial cult of the Flavian dynasty. It was dedicated in CE 89/90 under the reign of Domitian. Its...
XII before Isis and Osiris, at the Hathor Temple, Dendera. Roman Emperor Domitian on the Northern gate of the Temple of Hathor. Roman Emperor Trajan at Dendera...
installed. Dominating the site is the Palace of Domitian which was rebuilt largely during the reign of Domitian over earlier buildings of Nero. Later emperors...
Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. (Domitian had only one shelf, perhaps because it was over the door). In each...
655029 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Villa of Domitian (Castel Gandolfo). The Villa of Domitian, known as Albanum Domitiani or Albanum Caesari in...
south across the Danube, he defeated a Roman invasion in the reign of Domitian, securing a period of independence during which Decebalus consolidated...
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Domitian was Roman emperor from 81 to 96 AD. The Roman Actor (1626), a play by Philip Massinger that features Domitian as the main character. Domitia (1898)...
The Arch of Domitian (Latin: Arcus Domitiani) was an ancient Roman arch located between the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. This arch was one of only...
Domitian (Latin: Domitianus, Greek: Δομιτιανός; c. 550 – 602) was the nephew of the Roman emperor Maurice and the archbishop of Melitene in Roman Armenia...
Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the 1st century AD Stadium of Domitian and follows the form of the open space of the stadium in an elongated oval...
Lucius Domitius Domitianus or, rarely, Domitian III, was a Roman usurper against Diocletian, who seized power for a short time in Egypt. Nothing is known...
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The Odeon of Domitian was an ancient Roman building on the Campus Martius in Rome, used for plays and musical competitions and with room for an audience...
Minerva's military association. Suetonius tells us (Life of Domitian 4.4) that Domitian celebrated the Quinquatria by appointing a college of priests...
Roman Republic, p. 507 Strabo, Geography, 4.2.3 Narbonne: Remains of the Domitian Way Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Riess, Frank (2016)...
and distinguished senator. Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of Domitian; in AD 89, serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, he...
already reared Julia's uncle Domitian as a child). When growing up, Titus offered her in marriage to his brother Domitian, but he refused because of his...