Ovid and the Domus Augusta paternalside,thegrandfather,GaiusVelleius,wasapraefectus fabrum(prefect
of engineers) and juror (iudex) in the late Republic; of his sons,onewas a
senator(andanassistantprosecutorintheprosecutionofCassius),whileVel-
leius’fatherremainedanequestrian,andwaspraefectus equitum,apparentlyin
Germania. If we follow the recent discussion by Ségolène Demougin, the
fatherwillhavebeenborninthes..;henceitmakessensethatVelleius
himselfbeganhismilitarycareerasamilitarytribuneunderP.Viniciusand
L.SiliusinThraceandMacedoniaabout..(hemaythushavebeensome
fifteenyearsyoungerthanOvid).Then,afterfurtherservice,stillasmilitary
tribune,with Gaius Caesar in the East, he served aspraefectus equitumwith
TiberiusinGermany.In..heenteredtheSenateasquaestor,evidently
atalateragethanthenormoftwenty-five.In..,ashisowntestimony
shows,hewas,alongwithhisbrother,MagiusCelerVelleianus,theemperor’s
candidate (candidatus Caesaris) for the praetorship of.., ‘‘commended’’
both by Augustus before his death and then byTiberius (, , –). Just
beforethis(,),VelleiushadrecordedthelongreluctanceofTiberiusto
takeupthepositionofemperor:‘‘soliquehuiccontigitpaenediutiusrecu-
sareprincipatum,quamutoccuparenteum,aliiarmispugnaverant’’(tohim
aloneitbefelltorefusetheprincipatealmostlongerthanothershavefought
witharmstoseizeit).Thereisthusnoearlierwitnesstothisreluctance—
exceptOvid.
Velleius’ancestryandcareerwouldofthemselvesgivehimasignificant
placeinRomanhistory,evenifhehadnotgoneontowritehispatrioticand
value-ladenaccountof it.Itsstructureandemphaseswoulddeservemuch
fulleranalysis,especiallyiftakenseriouslyastheperfectexpressionof‘‘post-
Augustan’’ideology.Butinthiscontextitwillbeenoughtostressthepaucity
of the account of Gaius and Lucius, compared with the importance given
to the return and adoption of Tiberius (, –); the low profile of Ger-
manicus,andtheunmistakable,ifmuted,unfavourablecomparisonbetween
himandDrusus,thesonofTiberius(,,);theelaboratejustificationof
theprominentroleofSejanus,inspiteof hisrelativelymodestoriginsand
equestrianrank(,–);andtherhetoricalevocationofthepaincaused
toTiberiusbyAgrippina,thewidowofGermanicus,andhersonNero(,
): ‘‘Quam diu abstruso, quod miserrimum est, pectus eius flagravit in-
cendio,quodexnuru,quodexnepotedolere,indignari,erubescerecoactus
est!’’(Howlongdidhisheartburnwithaninflammation,morewretchedfor
beingconcealed,becauseofthegrief,theindignation,andtheshamehewas
forcedtosufferthroughhisdaughter-in-lawandhisgrandson!).Inkeeping
withthetoneofcombinedtriumphalismandanxietywhichmarksthelit-
eratureofthisperiod,theworkendswithaprayertoIuppiterCapitolinus,
MarsGradivus,andVestatopreserveTiberiusaslongaspossible—andthen