Editing Sejanus

{{Short description|Roman soldier and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius (20 BC – AD 31)}}
{{about|the Roman soldier|the Ben Jonson play|Sejanus His Fall}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Lucius Aelius Sejanus
| image         = Sejanus_is_arrested_and_condemned_to_death.jpg
| image_size    = 300px
| caption       = Sejanus is arrested, an etching by G. Mochetti after drawing by Bartolomeo Pinelli
| birth_date    = {{Circa|20 BC}}
| death_date    = October 18, 31 AD (aged 50)
| birth_place   = [[Volsinii]], [[Etruria]]
| death_place   = [[Rome]]
| allegiance    = [[Roman Empire]]
| serviceyears  = 14 AD – AD 31
| rank          = [[Praetorian prefect]]
| unit          = 
| commands      = [[Praetorian Guard]]
| laterwork     = [[Roman consul|Consul]] of the Roman Empire in 31
}}

'''Lucius Aelius Sejanus''' ({{Circa|20 BC}} – 18 October AD 31), commonly known as '''Sejanus''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ᵻ|ˈ|dʒ|eɪ|n|ə|s}}),<ref>{{cite book|title=Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary |url=https://archive.org/details/merriamwebstersc00merr_6 |url-access=registration |edition=11th |location=Springfield, Massachusetts |publisher=Merriam-Webster, Incorporated |year=2003 |page=[https://archive.org/details/merriamwebstersc00merr_6/page/1503 1503]|isbn=9780877798095 }}</ref> was a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] soldier and confidant of the [[Roman Emperor]] [[Tiberius]]. Of the [[Equites]] class by birth, Sejanus rose to power as [[Praetorian prefect|prefect]] of the [[Praetorian Guard]], the imperial bodyguard, of which he was commander from AD 14 until his execution for treason in AD 31.

While the Praetorian Guard was formally established under Emperor [[Augustus]], Sejanus introduced a number of reforms which saw the unit evolve beyond a mere bodyguard into a powerful and influential branch of the government involved in public security, civil administration and ultimately political intercession; these changes had a lasting impact on the course of the [[Principate]].

During the 20s, Sejanus gradually accumulated power by consolidating his influence over Tiberius and eliminating potential political opponents, including the emperor's son [[Drusus Julius Caesar]]. When Tiberius withdrew to [[Capri]] in AD 26, Sejanus was left in control of the administration of the empire. For a time the most influential and feared citizen of Rome, Sejanus suddenly fell from power in AD 31, the year his career culminated with the [[Roman consul|consulship]]. Amidst suspicions of conspiracy against Tiberius, Sejanus was arrested and executed, along with his followers.

== Family ==
Sejanus was born around 20 BC at [[Volsinii]], [[Etruria]], into the [[Seia gens]]. His father was [[Lucius Seius Strabo]].<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-1">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#1|IV.1]]</ref><ref name=Adams1955>{{cite journal | author = Adams, Freeman | year = 1955 | title = The Consular Brothers of Sejanus. | journal = The American Journal of Philology | volume = 76 | issue = 1  | pages = 70–76 | doi = 10.2307/291707 | jstor = 291707}}</ref> The Seii were Romans of the [[Equites]] class (or knights), the second-highest [[social class]] of the [[Roman Republic]] and the early [[Roman Empire]]. Sejanus's grandfather maintained relations with senatorial families through his marriage with Terentia, a sister of the wife of [[Gaius Maecenas]], who was one of Emperor [[Augustus]]' most powerful political allies.<ref name=Adams1955/>{{rp|p. 76}}

Strabo married into equally illustrious families. One of his wives was Cosconia Gallita, sister of [[Servius Cornelius Lentulus Maluginensis]] (suffect consul in AD 10) and [[Publius Cornelius Lentulus Scipio]] (suffect consul in AD 2).<ref name=Adams1955/>{{rp|p. 76}} Sejanus was once thought to have possibly been a child of this marriage, but [[Ronald Syme]] has argued that Sejanus's mother was a [[Junia Blaesa]],<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Augustan Aristocracy|last=Syme|first=Ronald|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1989|isbn=9780198147312|pages=486|edition=illustrated and revised}}</ref> sister of [[Junius Blaesus]].

Sejanus's brother [[Lucius Seius Tubero]], who became [[Consul suffectus|suffect consul]] in AD 18, was thought to have been a paternal half-brother, from his father Strabo marrying a daughter of [[Quintus Aelius Tubero (consul)|Quintus Aelius Tubero]]<ref name=Adams1955/>{{rp|p. 76}} but Syme has rejected this, instead he believes that Lucius Seius Tubero was Junia Blaesa's son from a marriage to Quintus Aelius Tubero whom Strabo adopted upon marrying Junia.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Augustan Aristocracy|last=Syme|first=Ronald|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1989|isbn=9780198147312|pages=307|edition=illustrated and revised}}</ref>

Sejanus was later adopted into the [[Aelia gens]], possibly by [[Gaius Aelius Gallus]] the prefect, or [[Sextus Aelius Catus]] his [[sibling|half-brother's half-brother]], and by [[Roman naming conventions#Adoptive cognomina|Roman custom]] became known as Lucius Aelius Seianus or simply as Seianus.<ref name=Adams1955/>

The adoptive family of Sejanus counted two consuls among their ranks: [[Quintus Aelius Tubero (consul)|Quintus Aelius Tubero]] (consul in 11 BC) and [[Sextus Aelius Catus]] (consul in AD 4), who was the father of [[Aelia Paetina]], the second wife of the future Emperor [[Claudius]]. Sejanus's uncle, Junius Blaesus, distinguished himself as a military commander; he became [[proconsul]] of [[Africa Province|Africa]] in AD 21 and earned [[Roman triumph|triumphal honors]] by crushing the rebellion of [[Tacfarinas]].<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 3#72|III.72]], [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 3#73|III.73]]</ref>

According to the ancient historian [[Tacitus]], Sejanus was also a former favourite of the wealthy [[Marcus Gavius Apicius]], whose daughter may have been Sejanus's first wife [[Apicata]].<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-1"/> With Apicata, Sejanus had two sons, Strabo and Capito Aelianus, and a daughter, Junilla.<ref name=Adams1955/><ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-3">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#3|IV.3]]</ref>

== Rise to power ==

=== Praetorian prefect ===

It is likely that Sejanus's father Strabo came to the attention of [[Augustus]] through his father's connection with Maecenas. Sometime after 2 BC,<ref>According to the Bingham dissertation, while the Guard had been formally established by Augustus in 27 BC, the first prefects were not appointed until 2 BC. See Bingham, p. 39.</ref> Strabo was appointed [[Praetorian prefect|prefect of the Praetorian Guard]], one of the two most powerful positions a Roman knight could attain in the Empire. This office he carried on dutifully and without incident until the death of Augustus in AD 14. Little is known about the life Sejanus led prior to this date, but according to Tacitus, he accompanied [[Gaius Caesar]], adopted son of Augustus, during his campaigns in [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Armenia]] in 1 BC.<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-1"/> Upon the accession of [[Tiberius]] in AD 14, Sejanus was appointed prefect of the Praetorian Guard as the colleague of his father Strabo, and began his rise to prominence.

The Praetorian Guard was an elite unit of the [[Roman army]] formed by Augustus in 27 BC, with the specific function to serve as a bodyguard to the emperor and members of the imperial family.<ref>Bingham, p. 30.</ref> Much more than a guard however, the Praetorians also managed the day-to-day care of the city, such as general security and civil administration.<ref>Bingham, p. 238.</ref> Furthermore, their presence served as a constant reminder to the people and the Senate of the substantial armed force which served as the basis for the imperial power.<ref>Bingham, p. 232.</ref> Augustus was careful however to uphold the [[Roman Republic|republican]] veneer of this regime, and only allowed nine [[Cohort (military unit)|cohorts]] to be formed (one fewer than in a normal [[Roman legion]]), which were inconspicuously scattered across various lodging houses in the city, and commanded by two prefects.<ref>Bingham, pp. 231, 40.</ref>

When Strabo was assigned to the [[Roman governor|governorship]] of [[Ægyptus|Egypt]] in AD 15, Sejanus became the sole commander of the Praetorians and instigated reforms that helped shape the guard into a powerful tool of the [[principate]].<ref name="dio-history-lvii-19">Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/57*.html#19 LVII.19]</ref><ref>Bingham, p. 43.</ref> In AD 20 the scattered encampments inside the city were centralized into [[Castra Praetoria|a single garrison]] just outside Rome<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-2">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#2|IV.2]]</ref><ref>Syme believes Tacitus delayed mention of these reforms until the year 23 for stylistic reasons. The actual date the Castra Praetoria was founded may have been AD 20. See {{cite book | author = Syme, Ronald  | year = 1958 | title = Tacitus | volume = 1 | page = 424 | location = Oxford, UK | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 0198143273}}</ref> and the number of cohorts was increased from nine to twelve,<ref>Bingham, p. 50.</ref> one of which now held the daily guard at the palace. The practice of joint leadership between two prefects was abandoned, and Sejanus himself appointed the [[centurion]]s and [[Tribunus Militum|tribunes]].<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-2"/> With these changes in effect, Sejanus now commanded the complete loyalty of a force of around 12,000 soldiers, all of which were at his immediate disposal. The facade of Augustus was no longer maintained, and Tiberius openly displayed the strength of the guard at parades.<ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/57*.html#22 LVII.22]</ref>

=== Feud with Drusus ===
[[File:Drusus minor (Museo del Prado) 01.jpg|thumb|upright|Bust of [[Drusus Julius Caesar|Drusus the Younger (Drusus Julius Caesar)]], son of Tiberius. In a conspiracy that involved his own wife [[Livilla]], Drusus was poisoned in AD 23 by agents of Sejanus.]]

In his capacity as Praetorian prefect, Sejanus quickly became a trusted advisor to Tiberius. By AD 23, he exerted a considerable influence over the decisions of the emperor, who referred to Sejanus as "Socius Laborum" (my partner in my toils).<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-2"/> By this time he had been raised to the rank of [[praetor]], a position which was not normally granted to Romans of the [[Equestrian (Roman)|equestrian class]].<ref name="dio-history-lvii-19"/> A statue had been erected in his honor in the [[Theatre of Pompey]] and in the [[Roman Senate|Senate]] his followers were advanced with public offices and governorships.<ref name="seneca-marcia-xxii-4-6">Seneca the Younger, ''Essays'', To Marcia On Consolation [http://www.stoics.com/seneca_essays_book_2.html#%E2%80%98MARCIAM1 XXII.4–6]</ref><ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-2"/> His privileged position caused resentment among the senatorial class and the imperial family, in particular earning him the enmity of Tiberius's son [[Drusus Julius Caesar]].

The history of Sejanus and Drusus dated back to at least AD 15. That year a [[mutiny]] had broken out among [[Roman legion|legions]] posted in [[Pannonia]] and [[Germania]]. While his adopted son [[Germanicus]] restored order in Germania, Tiberius's biological son Drusus was sent to quell the uprising in Pannonia, accompanied by Sejanus and two Praetorian [[Cohort (military unit)|cohorts]].<ref name="tacitus-annals-i-24">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 1#24|I.24]]</ref> In part due to what the soldiers believed to be bad [[omen]]s, Drusus quickly managed to restore stability in the army and publicly put the chief instigators to death. The camp was purged of mutineers by the Praetorians and the legions returned to the [[Castra#Types of castra|winter barracks]].<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 1#29|I.29]], [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 1#30|I.30]]</ref> Despite this success, the following years witnessed a growing animosity between Drusus and Sejanus.

Since the death of Germanicus, Drusus had been groomed as the successor of his father, commanding legions in [[Illyricum (Roman province)|Illyricum]] in AD 18,<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 2#44|II.44]], [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 2#62|II.62]]</ref> and sharing the consulship with Tiberius in AD 21.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 3#31|III.31]]</ref> In practice it was still Sejanus who was the second man in the empire, and he was ambitious to further expand his power. As early as AD 20, Sejanus had sought to solidify his connection with the imperial family by betrothing his daughter Junilla to the son of Claudius, [[Claudius Drusus]].<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 3#29|III.29]]</ref> At the time the girl was only 4 years old but the marriage never happened, as the boy mysteriously or accidentally died a few days later of [[asphyxia]]tion.<ref>Suetonius, ''The Lives of Twelve Caesars'', Life of Claudius [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Claudius*.html#27 27]</ref>

When this failed, it seems Sejanus turned his attention toward eliminating Drusus. By AD 23 the enmity between the two men had reached a critical point. During an argument Drusus had struck the prefect with his fist,<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-3"/> and he openly lamented that "a stranger was invited to assist in the government while the emperor's son was alive".<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-7">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#7|IV.7]]</ref>  Tiberius was already in his sixties, thus the possibility of Drusus succeeding his father in the near future loomed large. To secure his position, Sejanus secretly plotted against Drusus and seduced his wife [[Livilla]].<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-3"/> With her as an accomplice, Drusus was slowly poisoned and died of seemingly natural causes on September 13, AD 23.<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-8">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#8|IV.8]]</ref>

=== Consolidation of power ===
[[File:Tiberius NyCarlsberg01.jpg|thumb|upright|Bust of Emperor [[Tiberius]] ([[Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek]], [[Copenhagen]]). During the twenties Tiberius became increasingly disillusioned with Roman politics, and eventually withdrew to the island of [[Capri]], leaving the administration largely in the hands of Sejanus.]]

The loss of his son was a major blow to Tiberius, personally and politically. Over the years he had grown increasingly disillusioned with the position of princeps, and by sharing the [[Tribune of the plebs|tribunician powers]] with Drusus in AD 22 he had prepared to relinquish some of his responsibilities in favour of his son.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 3#56|III.56]]</ref> With these hopes now dashed, Tiberius left his administration more than ever in the care of Sejanus and looked toward the sons of Germanicus ([[Nero (son of Germanicus)|Nero Caesar]], [[Drusus Caesar]], and [[Caligula]]) as possible heirs.<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-8"/>

Germanicus had died in AD 19, in somewhat suspicious circumstances in [[Roman Syria|Syria]].<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 2#72|II.72]]</ref> Following his death, his wife [[Agrippina the Elder]] returned to Rome with their six children and became increasingly involved with a group of senators who opposed the growing power of Sejanus. Her relations with Tiberius became increasingly fraught, as she made it clear that she believed that he was responsible for the death of Germanicus.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#52|IV.52]], [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#53|IV.53]], [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#54|IV.54]]</ref> The climate was further poisoned by the hatred that Tiberius's mother [[Livia Drusilla]] (the widow of Augustus) felt for her, since Agrippina's ambition, to be the mother of emperors and thus Rome's first woman, was an open secret.<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-12">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#12|IV.12]]</ref> Sejanus saw Agrippina's sons Nero, Drusus, and Caligula as a threat to his power.<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-12"/>

Sejanus again attempted to marry into the [[Julio-Claudian dynasty|Julio-Claudian]] family. Having divorced Apicata two years earlier, in AD 25 he asked to marry Drusus' widow Livilla, possibly with an eye towards placing himself, as an adopted [[Julian (Rome)|Julian]], in the position of a potential successor.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#39|IV.39]]</ref> The emperor denied this request, warning Sejanus that he was in danger of overstepping his rank.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#40|IV.40]]</ref> Alarmed by this sudden denigration, Sejanus changed his plans and began to isolate Tiberius from Rome. By fueling his [[paranoia]] towards Agrippina and the Senate, he induced the emperor to withdraw to the countryside of [[Campania]], which he did in AD 26, and finally to the island of [[Capri]], where he lived until his death in AD 37.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#57|IV.57]], [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#67|IV.67]]</ref>  Sejanus easily controlled all information that passed between Tiberius (guarded by the Praetorians) and the capital.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#41|IV.41]]</ref>

Despite the withdrawal of Tiberius from Rome's political scene, the presence of Livia seems to have checked Sejanus's overt power for a time. According to Tacitus, her death in AD 29 changed all that.<ref name="tacitus-annals-v-3">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 5#3|V.3]]</ref> Sejanus began a series of purge trials of [[Roman Senator|senators]] and wealthy equestrians in the city, removing those capable of opposing his power as well as extending the imperial (and his own) treasury. Networks of spies and informers brought the victims to trial with false accusations of [[treason]], and many chose suicide over the disgrace of being condemned and executed.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-4">Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#4 LVIII.4]</ref> Among those who perished were [[Gaius Asinius Gallus]], a prominent senator and opponent of Tiberius who was linked to Agrippina's faction.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-3">Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#3 LVIII.3]</ref> Agrippina and her sons Nero and Drusus were arrested and exiled in AD 30, and later starved to death in suspicious circumstances.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'', [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#23|VI.23]] – [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#25|VI.25]]</ref> Only Caligula, the youngest son of Germanicus and Agrippina, survived the purges of Sejanus by moving to Capri with Tiberius in AD 31. His three younger sisters, [[Agrippina the Younger]], [[Julia Drusilla|Drusilla]], and [[Julia Livilla|Livilla]], also all survived the purges of Sejanus.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#3|VI.3]]</ref>

== Downfall ==

=== Denunciation ===
In AD 31, despite his equestrian rank, Sejanus shared the [[Roman consul|consulship]] with Tiberius [[wikt:in absentia|in absentia]],<ref>Suetonius, ''The Lives of Twelve Caesars'', Life of Tiberius [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Tiberius*.html#65 65]</ref> and finally became betrothed to [[Livilla]]. Tiberius had not been seen in Rome since AD 26 and senators and equestrians courted Sejanus's favour as if he were Emperor.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-2">Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#1 LVIII.1]</ref> His birthday was publicly observed and statues were erected in his honour.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-2"/> With most of the political opposition crushed, Sejanus felt his position was unassailable. The ancient historian [[Cassius Dio]] wrote:

<blockquote>Sejanus was so great a person by reason both of his excessive haughtiness and of his vast power, that, to put it briefly, he himself seemed to be the emperor and Tiberius a kind of island potentate, inasmuch as the latter spent his time on the island of Capreae.<ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#5 LVIII.5]</ref></blockquote>

Through years of crafty intrigues and indispensable service to the emperor, Sejanus had worked himself up to become the most powerful man in the Empire.

But suddenly, at the end of AD 31, he was arrested, summarily [[Capital punishment|executed]] and his body unceremoniously cast down the [[Gemonian stairs]]. What caused his downfall is unclear:<ref>Bingham, p. 66.</ref> ancient historians disagree about the nature of his conspiracy, whether it was Tiberius or Sejanus who struck first and in which order subsequent events occurred.<ref name="boddington-sejanus">{{cite journal | last = Boddington | first = Ann | title = Sejanus. Whose Conspiracy? | journal = The American Journal of Philology | volume = 84 | issue = 1 | pages = 1–16 | date = January 1963 | doi = 10.2307/293155 | jstor = 293155}}</ref> Modern historians consider it unlikely that Sejanus plotted to seize power and, if he had planned so at all, rather might have aimed at overthrowing Tiberius to serve as a [[regent]] to [[Tiberius Gemellus]], son of Drusus, or possibly [[Caligula|Gaius Caligula]].<ref name="boddington-sejanus"/> Unfortunately the relevant section pertaining to this period in the ''Annals'' of Tacitus has been lost. According to [[Josephus]], it was [[Antonia Minor|Antonia]], the mother of Livilla, who finally alerted Tiberius to the growing threat Sejanus posed (possibly with information provided by [[Satrius Secundus]]), in a letter she dispatched to Capri in the care of her [[freedman]] [[Pallas (freedman)|Pallas]].<ref>Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' [[wikisource:The Antiquities of the Jews/Book XVIII#Chapter 6|XVIII.6.6]]</ref> According to Juvenal, a letter was sent from Capri with orders to execute Sejanus without a trial.<ref>Juvenal, Satire X.67–72</ref>

Further details concerning Sejanus's fall are provided by [[Cassius Dio]], writing nearly 200 years later in his ''Roman History''. It appears that, when Tiberius heard to what extent Sejanus had already [[usurper|usurped]] his authority in Rome, he immediately took steps to remove him from power. However, he realised that an outright condemnation could provoke Sejanus to attempt a [[Coup d'état|coup]].<ref name="dio-history-lviii-4"/> Instead, Tiberius addressed a number of contradictory letters to the Senate, some of which praised Sejanus and his friends and some of which denounced them. Tiberius variously announced that he would arrive in Rome the next day or that he was at the point of death.<ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#6 LVIII.6]</ref> He stepped down as consul, forcing Sejanus to do the same<ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#7 LVIII.7]</ref> and conferred an honorary priesthood upon Caligula, rekindling popular support for the house of Germanicus.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-8">Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#8 LVIII.8]</ref> The ensuing confusion was successful in alienating Sejanus from many of his followers. With the intentions of the emperor no longer clear, it was now deemed a safer course of action in Rome to withdraw from overtly supporting Sejanus until the matter was clearly resolved.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-8"/>

When it became obvious to Tiberius that support for Sejanus was not as strong as the emperor had feared, his next step was to choose [[Naevius Sutorius Macro]], previously prefect of the [[vigiles]] (Roman police and fire department), to replace Sejanus and effect his downfall.<ref>Bingham, p. 63.</ref><ref name="dio-history-lviii-9">Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#9 LVIII.9]</ref> On October 18, AD 31, Sejanus was summoned to a Senate meeting by a letter from Tiberius, ostensibly to bestow the tribunician powers upon him. At dawn, he entered the Senate; while the letter was being read, Macro assumed control of the Praetorian Guard, and members of the vigiles, led by Publius Graecinius Laco, surrounded the building.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-9"/> The senators at first congratulated Sejanus, but when the letter, which initially digressed into completely unrelated matters, suddenly denounced him and ordered his arrest, he was immediately apprehended and imprisoned in the [[Tullianum]].<ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#10 LVIII.10]</ref>

=== Execution and aftermath ===
[[File:Sejanus Damnatio Memoriae.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|A coin from [[Augusta Bilbilis]] with the words ''L. Aelio Seiano'' erased as a result of his sentence]]

That same evening the Senate convened at the [[Temple of Concord]] and summarily condemned Sejanus to death. He was taken from prison and [[Garotte|strangled]], after which his body was cast onto the [[Gemonian stairs]]. Riots ensued, in which mobs hunted down and killed anyone they could link to Sejanus. The Praetorians also resorted to [[looting]] when they were accused of having conspired with the former prefect.<ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#12 LVIII.12]</ref> Following the issue of ''[[damnatio memoriae]]'' by the Senate, Sejanus's statues were torn down and his name obliterated from all [[public records]], even from coins, as in the one pictured opposite. On October 24, Sejanus's eldest son Strabo was arrested and executed.<ref name="boddington-sejanus"/> Upon learning of his death, [[Apicata]] committed suicide on October 26, after addressing a letter to Tiberius which claimed that Drusus had been poisoned with the complicity of Livilla.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-11">Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#11 LVIII.11]</ref><ref>A recovered fragment of the [[Fasti Ostienses]], shows that Cassius Dio erred in his account on the deaths of Sejanus's family (Dio, [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#11 LVIII.11]). The eldest son Strabo was executed (October 24) and the remaining children were executed sometime in December. See Freeman, Adams (1955), op. cit., for the Latin inscription.</ref> The accusations were further corroborated by confessions from Livilla's slaves, who, under torture, admitted to having administered the poison to Drusus.<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-11">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#11|IV.11]]</ref>[The story should be read with caution. [[Barbara Levick]] says that Sejanus must have murdered Drusus in self-defense because only Tiberius stood between the Praetorian Prefect and the end of his career at the hands of Drusus. Furthermore, she says it is even less likely that Livilla would have been complicit in the destruction of her family, the key to her children's future. Levick dismisses the accusation of Apicata as the revenge of a woman whose husband left her for another.<ref>{{cite book |last=Levick |first=Barbara |author-link=Barbara Levick |date=1999 |title=Tiberius the Politician |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=47CCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA127 |location=London |publisher=Routledge |page=127 |isbn=9780415217538 |access-date=19 February 2023 }}</ref>]

Enraged upon learning the truth, Tiberius soon ordered more killings. Livilla committed suicide or was starved to death by her mother [[Antonia Minor]].<ref name="dio-history-lviii-11"/> The remaining children of Sejanus, Capito Aelianus and Junilla, were executed in December of that year.<ref name=Adams1955/><ref name="tacitus-annals-v-9">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 5#9|V.9]]</ref> Because there was no precedent for the capital punishment of a [[virgin]], Junilla was said to have been raped first, with the rope around her neck<ref name="dio-history-lviii-11"/><ref name="tacitus-annals-v-9"/> and her body thrown down the Gemonian stairs along with her brother's. At the beginning of the following year, ''damnatio memoriae'' was also passed on Livilla.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#2|VI.2]]</ref>

Although Rome at first rejoiced at the demise of Sejanus, the city was quickly plunged into more extensive trials as Tiberius persecuted all those who could in any way be tied to the schemes of Sejanus or had courted his friendship.<ref name="tacitus-annals-vi-19">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#19|VI.19]]</ref> The Senatorial ranks were purged; the hardest hit were those families with political ties to the Julians.<ref name="boddington-sejanus"/> Even the imperial magistracy was not exempted from Tiberius's wrath.<ref name="tacitus-annals-vi-10">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#10|VI.10]]</ref> Arrests and executions were now supervised by [[Naevius Sutorius Macro]], who succeeded Sejanus as the [[Prefect of the Praetorian Guard]].<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#29|VI.29]]</ref> The political turmoil continued until the death of Tiberius in AD 37, after which he was succeeded by Caligula.

Most historical documentation of Tiberius's revenge is given by Suetonius and Tacitus; their portrayal of a tyrannical, vengeful emperor has been challenged by several modern historians. [[Edward Togo Salmon]] wrote that,

{{blockquote|In the whole twenty two years of Tiberius's reign, not more than fifty-two persons were accused of treason, of whom almost half escaped conviction, while the four innocent people to be condemned fell victims to the excessive zeal of the Senate, not to the Emperor's tyranny.<ref>{{cite book | author = Salmon, Edward Togo | title = A History of the Roman World From 30 B.C. to A.D. 138 
| year = 1987 | publisher = Methuen | edition = 6th | url = https://archive.org/details/historyofromanwo00salm/ | page = 133 }}</ref>}}

== Legacy ==

=== Praetorian Guard ===
The reforms of Sejanus most significantly included the founding of the [[Castra Praetoria]], which established the Praetorian Guard as the powerful political force, for which it is primarily known today.<ref>{{ cite book | last = Durry | first = Marcel | title = Les Cohortes Prétoriennes | year = 1938 | location = Paris | publisher = Editions De Boccard | page = 156}}</ref> Henceforth the Guard was at the disposal of the emperors, and the rulers were equally at the mercy of the Praetorians.<ref>Bingham, p. 234f.</ref> The reality of this was seen in AD 31, when Tiberius was forced to rely upon the [[vigiles]] against the soldiers of his own guard.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-9"/> Although the Praetorian Guard proved faithful to the aging Tiberius, their potential political power had been made clear.<ref>Bingham, p. 65f.</ref> The power Sejanus attained in his capacity as prefect proved [[Maecenas]] right in his prediction to Augustus, that it was dangerous to allow one man to command the guard.<ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/52*.html#24 LII.24]</ref> [[Cassius Dio]] notes that after Sejanus, no other prefect except [[Gaius Fulvius Plautianus]], who commanded the Guard under [[Septimius Severus]], would rise to such influence.<ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#14 LVIII.14]</ref>

=== Historiography ===
With the exception of [[Velleius Paterculus]], ancient [[historian]]s have universally condemned Sejanus, although accounts differ regarding the extent to which Sejanus was manipulated by Tiberius or the other way around.<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-1"/><ref name="boddington-sejanus"/><ref>Seneca the Younger, ''Essays'', [http://www.stoics.com/seneca_essays_book_2.html#%E2%80%98MARCIAM1 To Marcia On Consolation]</ref><ref>Philo, ''On the Embassy to Gaius'' [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/yonge/book40.html#XXIV XXIV]</ref> [[Suetonius|Suetonius Tranquillus]] asserts that Sejanus was merely an instrument of Tiberius, to hasten the downfall of Germanicus and his family and that he was quickly disposed of once he ceased to be useful.<ref>[[Suetonius]], ''[[On the Life of the Caesars|The Lives of Twelve Caesars]]'', Life of Tiberius [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Tiberius*.html#55 55]</ref> [[Tacitus]], on the other hand, attributes much of the decline of Tiberius's rule after AD 23 to the corrupting influence of Sejanus, although he is generally also harsh on Tiberius.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 3#7|III.7]], [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#51|VI.51]]</ref>

Among the writers who fell victim to the regime of Sejanus and its aftermath, were the historians [[Aulus Cremutius Cordus]] and [[Velleius Paterculus]] and the poet [[Phaedrus (fabulist)|Phaedrus]]. Cordus was brought to trial in AD 25 by Sejanus, under accusations of treason. He was charged for having eulogized [[Marcus Junius Brutus]] and spoken of [[Gaius Cassius Longinus]] as the last of the true Romans, which was considered an offence under the ''[[Law of majestas|Lex Maiestatis]]''; the Senate ordered the burning of his writings.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#34|IV.34–35]]</ref><ref name="seneca-marcia-i-2-4">Seneca the Younger, ''Essays'', To Marcia On Consolation [http://www.stoics.com/seneca_essays_book_2.html#%E2%80%98MARCIAM1 I.2–4]</ref> His fall is elaborated upon by [[Seneca the Younger]], in his letter to Cordus' daughter Marcia ''[[Ad Marciam, de Consolatione|To Marcia, On Consolation]]''. Seneca tells us that her father most likely incurred Sejanus's displeasure for criticising him because he had commissioned a statue of himself.<ref name="seneca-marcia-xxii-4-6"/> We also know from this source that Cordus starved himself to death.<ref name="seneca-marcia-xxii-4-6"/> Marcia was instrumental in saving her father's work so that it could be published again under Caligula.<ref name="seneca-marcia-i-2-4"/>

[[Phaedrus (fabulist)|Phaedrus]] was suspected of having alluded to Sejanus in his ''Fables'' and received some unknown punishment short of death (Cf. Fables I.1, I.2.24, and I.17).<ref>Phaedrus, ''Fables'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0119&query=book%3D%233 Book III, preface]</ref> Velleius Paterculus was an historian and contemporary of Sejanus, whose two-volume ''The Roman History'' details a history of Rome from the fall of [[Troy]] until the death of Livia Augusta in AD 29. In his work he praised Tiberius and Sejanus, even defending the latter's high position in the government, despite not ranking higher than equestrian.<ref>Velleius Paterculus, ''Roman History'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Velleius_Paterculus/2D*.html#127 II.127–128 II.127–128]</ref> It has been conjectured that he was put to death as a friend of Sejanus.<ref>Cruttwell, C. T. (1878) ''[https://archive.org/details/ahistoryromanli03crutgoog A History of Roman Literature]''. 2nd Ed. London: Charles Griffin & Co. p.345</ref>

===Literary interpretations===
Sejanus's fall is depicted in the section in [[Juvenal]]'s Satire X on the emptiness of power.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/JuvenalSatires10.htm |title=A.S.Kline translation, lines 56–113 |publisher=Poetryintranslation.com |access-date=2013-12-25}}</ref> This reviews the destruction of his statues after the ''[[damnatio memoriae]]'' judgment and reflects on the fickleness of public opinion. The dramatist [[Ben Jonson]]  borrowed from the poem for some passages in his ''[[Sejanus: His Fall]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=1086137|title=Seventeenth-Century Translations of Juvenal|first1=G. L.|last1=Brodersen|first2=J.|last2=Selden|date=1 January 1953|journal=Phoenix|volume=7|issue=2|pages=57–76|doi=10.2307/1086137}}</ref> The play is seen as a topical reference to the fall of the former royal favourite, [[Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex]], executed for treason two years before.  Sejanus is also a leading figure in another Roman history play of about this time, the anonymous ''Tragedy of Claudius Tiberius Nero'' (1607).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://extra.shu.ac.uk/emls/iemls/renplays/ctneroindex.html |title=Online introduction and text |publisher=Extra.shu.ac.uk |access-date=2013-12-25}}</ref>

Making contemporary political points in this way through reinterpretation of distant historical episodes was now common. In 17th century France, the fall of the powerful [[Cardinal Mazarin]] was celebrated in a political pamphlet that also drew parallels with the career of Sejanus, ''L'Ambitieux ou le portraict d'Aelius Sejanus en la personne du Cardinal Mazarin'' (Paris, 1642). In England other royal favourites were seen in these terms too. [[George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham]], is the target of an anonymous manuscript Roman tragedy, ''The Emperor's Favourite''.<ref>Siobhan C. Keenan, “Staging Roman History, Stuart Politics, and the Duke of Buckingham: The Example of The Emperor’s Favourite [https://earlytheatre.org/earlytheatre?article=1305&context=earlytheatre Early Theatre 14.2 (2011)]</ref> The prudent need for anonymity is suggested by the arrest of [[Sir John Eliot]], who was sent to the [[Tower of London]] for his outspoken criticism of the Duke in the 1626 parliament, comparing him to Sejanus.<ref>John Forster, ''Lives of Eminent British Statesmen'', London 1836, [https://books.google.com/books?id=K7E1AAAAMAAJ&dq=Sejanus+Strafford&pg=PA44 p.42ff]</ref>

Following Buckingham's death in 1628, when it was safer to do so, a translation of a history by [[Pierre Matthieu]] was published under the title, ''The Powerful Favourite, the life of Aelius Sejanus''.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=HOpbAAAAQAAJ Volume 1, Google Books]</ref> This was followed in 1634 by another translation, [[Sir Thomas Hawkins]]' ''Politicall Observations upon the Fall of Sejanus'', which had originally been titled ''Della peripetia di fortuna'' (Of Changes of Fortune) by its author, Giovanni Battista Manzini.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=w8JlAAAAcAAJ Google Books]</ref><ref>Siobhan C. Keenan, [http://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/eth/article/viewFile/15918/13543 "Staging Roman History, Stuart Politics, and the Duke of Buckingham: The Example of The Emperor’s Favourite"], ''Early Theatre'' 14.2 (2011)</ref> Later in the century [[Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury]], was the target of the four-page political pamphlet ''Sejanus, or The popular favourite, now in his solitude, and sufferings'', signed with the pseudonym Timothy Tory (1681).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=bz1oAAAAcAAJ&dq=Sejanus%2C+or+The+popular+favourite%2C+now+in+his+solitude%2C+and+sufferings&pg=PA1 Google Books]</ref> The story of Sejanus, with reference to the Earl's imprisonment in the Tower on a charge of treason, is interpreted as an argument for [[absolute monarchy]], direct rule without the intermediary of politicians.<ref>W. Thomas, Wilfrid Laurier University 2006, ''The Crafting of Absalom and Achitophel: Dryden’s Pen for a Party'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=DEk9DgAAQBAJ&dq=Sejanus%2C+or+The+popular+favourite%2C+now+in+his+solitude%2C+and+sufferings&pg=PA57 pp.52–7]</ref>

The name of Sejanus continued to be pressed into political service during the 18th century. Prime Minister [[Robert Walpole]] was attacked in 1735 in the course of a popular skit, ''C----- and country: A play of seven acts...the whole concluding with the grand masque, call'd, The downfall of Sejanus''; its authorship is attributed to 'a masquerader' and in the printed version the masque precedes the play, although it is performed last. This gives the clue of how to take what is to follow and consists of a conversation between [[Punch and Judy|Punch]] and the [[Hanging#Methods of judicial hanging|Hangman]], opening with the question 'Is this same Sejanus to go out of the World like a Man, or to die the Death of a mad Dog? For he has lived like a sad One, from the first Day that the Emperor Tiberius took him into Favour.'<ref>{{cite book |author= Masquerader |year=1735 |title= C----- and Country. A Play of Seven Acts. |type= In which will be revived, the Entertaining Scene of the Blundering Brothers. To which is Added, The Comical Humours of Punch. The Whole concluding with the Grand Masque, call'd ''The Downfall of Sejanus'' |location= London, ENG |publisher= T. Monger |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5LcOAAAAQAAJ |access-date= April 5, 2017 }}</ref> A subtler attack on a later prime minister occurred in 1769 when Jonson's ''Sejanus'' was reissued under the title of ''The Favourite''. This was prefaced with a tongue-in-cheek dedication to [[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute|Lord Bute]], denying that there can be any comparison between the conduct of Sejanus and that of his lordship.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-TAJAAAAQAAJ&q=%22Strafford+%22+Sejanus&pg=PR1|title=The Favourite|last1=Jonson|first1=Ben|year=1770}}</ref>

Elsewhere in Europe there were other dramatic adaptations of the story. They included Jean de Magnon's rhyming tragedy, ''Sejanus'' (1647) and Henri van der Zande's ''De dood van Elius Sejanus of Spiegel voor der vorsten gunstelingen'' (The death of Sejanus, a mirror for the favourites of princes, Amsterdam 1716).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZQTAAAAQAAJ&q=Sejanus&pg=PP1|title=Sejanus|last1=Magnon|first1=Jean|year=1647}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WAMUAAAAQAAJ|title=De dood van Elius Sejanus of Spiegel voor der vorsten gunstelingen|last1=Zande|first1=Henri van der|year=1716}}</ref> Later there was another recycling of Jonson's tragedy in England by the Irish actor [[Francis Gentleman]]. Abridged and 'improved' by some additions of his own, he published his ''Sejanus, a tragedy: as it was intended for the stage'' (1752), when he could not get it acted.<ref>See the preface, [https://books.google.com/books?id=_jAJAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22An+attempt+at+altering+a+piece+of+his%22&pg=PR5 pp.v-xiii]</ref> Later plays include a 5-act tragedy by A.Arterton (1875) and the privately printed ''Sejanus: A Tragedy in Five Acts'' by P. J. A. Chaulk  (1923)

A later fictional treatment of the historical episode appeared as the first story of [[Edward Maturin]]'s ''Sejanus, and Other Roman Tales'' (New York 1839).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/sejanusandother00matugoog#page/n14/mode/2up |title=pp.1–55 Web archive text |access-date=2013-12-25}}</ref> It also figures in [[Robert Graves]]' ''[[I, Claudius]]'' (1934).<ref>{{Cite book|chapter=Chapters 21-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NSnaF4l1nVMC|title=I, Claudius|isbn=9780141911748|last1=Graves|first1=Robert|date=2006-08-03| publisher=Penguin Books Limited }}</ref>  In this Antonia sends the letter of accusation to Tiberius via Claudius, after discovering her daughter is plotting with Sejanus. And since [[Pontius Pilate]] was a nominee of Sejanus and implicated in his anti-Jewish policies, it encouraged the inclusion of Sejanus in novels dealing with the circumstances of [[Jesus Christ]]'s crucifixion.<ref>Gary DeLashmutt, "Sejanus and the Chronology of Christ's death", [http://www.xenos.org/essays/sejanus.htm Xenos Christian Fellowship] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221045019/http://www.xenos.org/essays/sejanus.htm |date=2014-12-21 }}</ref> The first of these was [[Miles Gerald Keon]]'s ''Dion and the Sibyls: A Classic Christian Novel'' (London, 1866);<ref>Later published by the Catholic Publication Society in New York in 1872: {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TAsiAAAAMAAJ&q=Sejanus |title=Dion and the Sibyls |last1=Keon |first1=Miles Gerald |year=1872 |publisher=Christian Publication Society |isbn=9782952916264 }}</ref> later examples include Paul L. Maier's ''Pontius Pilate'' (Grand Rapids MI 1968)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gy4OAwAAQBAJ|title=Pontius Pilate|isbn=9780825497216|last1=Maier|first1=Paul L|year=1968|publisher=Kregel Publications }}</ref> and Chris Seepe's ''The Conspiracy to Assassinate Jesus Christ'' (Toronto 2012).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theconspiracytoassassinatejesuschrist.com/background.html |title=Background |website=The Conspiracy to Assassinate Jesus Christ |access-date=2017-04-20 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420213921/http://www.theconspiracytoassassinatejesuschrist.com/background.html | archive-date = 2017-04-20}}</ref>

The aim of some later novels has been to concentrate as much on local colour as on the story. This was true of [[William Percival Crozier]]'s historical romance ''The Fates Are Laughing'' (1945), which was written by a classicist with an eye for detail and set during the fall of Sejanus and the reign of Caligula.<ref>[http://www01.us.archive.org/stream/fatesarelaughing00croz/fatesarelaughing00croz_djvu.txt Full text] at the University of Florida libraries</ref> It is equally true of some recent detective novels set in Roman times. David Wishart's ''Sejanus'' (London, 1998) features Marcus Corvinus, and James Mace's ''Empire Betrayed: The Fall of Sejanus'' (2013) focused on a military colleague, Aulus Nautius Cursor.<ref>[http://legionarybooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/overview-of-my-upcoming-novella-empire.html Author's summary]</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book | author = Tacitus, Cornelius | others = Church, Alfred John & Brodribb, William Jackson (transl.) | editor = Hadas, Moses | year = 1942 | orig-year = 109 | title = The Complete Works of Tacitus. The Annals (From the Passing of the Divine Augustus) [1876]… | location = New York, NY | publisher = The Modern Library | asin = B0006APTTQ | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Co9fAAAAMAA | access-date = April 4, 2017 }}  See digital versions at [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Annals_(Tacitus) Wikisource],  [https://classics.mit.edu/Tacitus/annals.html MIT], and [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0078%3Abook%3D1 Perseus (Tufts University)]. A further edition, see {{cite book | author = Tacitus, Cornelius | others = Church & Brodribb (transl.) | editor = Bryant, Sara | year = 1942 | title = The Complete Works of Tacitus. The Annals… | location = New York, NY | publisher = Perseus/Random House }}
* {{cite thesis |author = Bingham, Sandra J.  |date= 1997 |title= The Praetorian Guard in the Political and Social Life of Julio-Claudian Rome |type= Ph.D. Dissertation | location = Vancouver, BC and Ottawa, ON  | publisher= The University of British Columbia and National Library of Canada | isbn = 0612271064 | url= http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape17/PQDD_0032/NQ27106.pdf | access-date= April 4, 2017}}
* {{cite book | author = Dio Cocceianus, Cassius | others = Cary, Earnest (transl.) | editor = Foster, Herbert Baldwin | year = 1924 | title = Roman History | series = Loeb Classical Library, Vol. VII, Books 56–60  |  location = London, New York | publisher = William Heinemann, Harvard University Press | isbn = 0674991931  | url = https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0674991931 | access-date = April 4, 2017 }}  See digital versions at [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dio%27s_Roman_History Wikisource],  [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/home.html Penelope (The University of Chicago)], and [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0593 Perseus (Tufts University)].
*[[Suetonius]], ''[[On the Life of the Caesars|The Lives of Twelve Caesars]]'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Tiberius*.html Life of Tiberius], Latin text with English translation.
*[[Josephus]], ''[[Antiquities of the Jews]]'' [[s:The Antiquities of the Jews/Book XVIII#Chapter 6|Book XVIII, Chapter 6]] English translation.
*[[Seneca the Younger]], ''Essays'' [http://www.stoics.com/seneca_essays_book_2.html#%E2%80%98MARCIAM1  To Marcia On Consolation] English translation.
*[[Juvenal]] ''[[Satires of Juvenal|Satires]]'', [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/juvenal/10.shtml 10th Satire] Latin text.
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book |last=Vacanti |first=Claudio |year=2022 |title=Lucio Elio Seiano. Il potere all'ombra dell'imperatore Tiberio |location=Roma |publisher=Carocci |isbn=978-8829017119 |url=https://www.carocci.it/prodotto/lucio-elio-seiano }} 
*{{cite book |last=Bingham |first=Sandra |year=2013 |title=The Praetorian Guard: A History of Rome's Elite Special Forces |location=New York |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-1845118846 |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1845118847 }}  
*{{cite journal |last=Boddington |first=Ann |title=Sejanus. Whose conspiracy? |journal=American Journal of Philology |volume=84 |issue=1 |pages=1–16 |date=January 1963 |doi=10.2307/293155 |jstor=293155}}
*{{cite journal |last=Syme |first=Ronald |date=1956 |title=Seianus on the Aventine |journal=Hermes |volume=84 |issue=3 |pages=257–66 |publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag |jstor = 4474933 }}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Sejanus}}
{{EB1911 poster|Sejanus, Lucius Aelius}}
*[http://www.xenos.org/essays/sejanus.htm Sejanus, biography at xenos.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221045019/http://www.xenos.org/essays/sejanus.htm |date=2014-12-21 }}

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{{succession box | title=[[Praetorian prefect]] | before=[[Lucius Seius Strabo]] | after=[[Naevius Sutorius Macro]]| years=14–31}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Lucius Naevius Surdinus]],<br/>and [[Gaius Cassius Longinus (consul AD 30)|Gaius Cassius Longinus]]|as=Suffect consul}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of early imperial Roman consuls|Consul]] of the [[Roman Empire]]|years=31|regent1=[[Tiberius|Tiberius Caesar Augustus]] V}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Faustus Cornelius Sulla Lucullus]],<br/>and [[Sextus Tedius Valerius Catullus]]|as=Suffect consul}}
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{{good article}}

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