Explore the Context of this artwork, Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus.
Germanicus was the intended heir of his adoptive father Tiberius, the second emperor of Rome. He had been sent to look after the eastern provinces of the empire where he came into dispute with Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, the governor of Syria. Germanicus became ill during the dispute and died on 10 October AD 19 in Antioch. Poison was suspected by many, and a trial was held during which Piso committed suicide.After Germanicus' cremation in the forum of Antioch, Agrippina personally carried the ashes of her husband to Rome. The transportation of the ashes witnessed national mourning. She landed at the port of Brundisium in southern Italy where she was met with huge crowds of sympathizers; a praetorian escort was provided by the emperor in light of her rank as the wife of a governor-general. As she passed each town, the people and local magistrates came out to show their respect. Drusus the Younger (son of Tiberius), Claudius, and the consuls journeyed to join the procession as well. Once she made it to Rome, her husband's ashes were interred at the Mausoleum of Augustus.As a famous general, he was widely popular and regarded as the ideal Roman long after his death. Primary sources (incl. Suetonius and Tacitus) often compared him to great men like Alexander the Great and hailed his qualities, contrasting them with the "tyrannical" qualities of Tiberius. Agrippina continued to show devotion to Germanicus after his death. Historian Lindsay Powell says she was regarded by the Roman people as, quoting Tacitus, "the glory of the country, the sole surviving offspring of Augustus, the solitary example of the good old times."
Antioch praetorian Suetonius Tacitus Germanicus Tiberius Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso Mausoleum of Augustus Syria Brundisium Drusus the Younger