The talk focuses on Tiberius’s reported speech in Ann. 2.38. This impactful speech captures Tiberius’s
response to Marcius Hortalus, the grandson of the famed orator Quintus Hortensius Hortalus, who
appealed for financial assistance and, in his request, addressed Tiberius and the Senate, stressing that having children was not his idea at all. The significance of this passage in Tacitus’ historiography is threefold. First, it marks the first instance of direct speech attributed to Tiberius in the Annales.
Second, it enables us to explore the intricate relationship between Tiberius’s internal politics and
Augustus, who is prominently referenced by both Hortalus and Tiberius in their speeches. Third, it
provides a cross-section of the dynamics between the princeps and the senators in the aftermath of
Augustus’ death.