Tacitus on the Visit of Germanicus to Egypt

Abstract

Abstract This paper investigates why, when Tacitus describes the visit of Germanicus to the East in AD 17-19, he chooses to describe his visit to Egypt in particular (Ann. 2.59-61) at such length in contrast to his cursory descriptions of his other much more significant achievements during the same period. It is argued that he did this for two main reasons, partly to emphasize his implication that this was the event that finally persuaded Tiberius to order the death of Germanicus and partly to complete his characterization of Germanicus as a man of wondrous comitas.