Tiberius Tiberius ( ; ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March 37 AD ) was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD . Born Tiberius Claudius Nero , a Claudian , Tiberius was the son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla . His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC , making him a step - son of Octavian . Tiberius would later marry Augustus ' daughter Julia the Elder ( from his marriage to Scribonia ) and even later be adopted by Augustus , by which act he officially became a Julian , bearing the name Tiberius Julius Caesar . The subsequent emperors after Tiberius would continue this blended dynasty of both families for the next forty years ; historians have named it the Julio - Claudian dynasty . In relations to the other emperors of this dynasty , Tiberius was the stepson of Augustus , grand - uncle of Caligula , paternal uncle of Claudius , and great - grand uncle of Nero . Tiberius was one of Rome ' s greatest general s , conquering Pannonia , Dalmatia , Raetia , and temporarily Germania ; laying the foundations for the northern frontier . But he came to be remembered as a dark , reclusive , and sombre ruler who never really desired to be emperor ; Pliny the Elder called him " tristissimus hominum , " " the gloomiest of men . " After the death of Tiberius ’ son Drusus Julius Caesar in 23 , he became more reclusive and aloof . In 26 , against better judgement , Tiberius exiled himself from Rome and left administration largely in the hands of his unscrupulous Praetorian Prefect s Lucius Aelius Sejanus and Quintus Naevius Sutorius Macro . Caligula , Tiberius ' grand - nephew and adopted grandson , succeeded the emperor upon his death . Early life . Background . Tiberius was born in Rome on 16 November 42 BC , to Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla . In 39 BC , his mother divorced his biological father and remarried Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus shortly thereafter , while still pregnant with Tiberius Nero ' s son . In 38 BC his brother , Nero Claudius Drusus , was born . Little is recorded of Tiberius ' s early life . In 32 BC , Tiberius made his first public appearance at the age of nine , delivering the eulogy for his biological father . In 29 BC , both he and his brother Drusus rode in the triumphal chariot along with their adoptive father Octavian in celebration of the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium . In 23 BC , Emperor Augustus became gravely ill , and his possible death threatened to plunge the Roman world into chaos again . Historians generally agree that it is during this time that the question of Augustus ' heir became most acute , and while Augustus had seemed to indicate that Agrippa and Marcellus would carry on his position in the event of his death , the ambiguity of succession became Augustus ' s chief problem . In response , a series of potential heirs seem to have been selected , among them Tiberius and his brother , Drusus . In 24 BC , at the age of seventeen , Tiberius entered politics under Augustus ' s direction , receiving the position of quaestor , and was granted the right to stand for election as praetor and consul five years in advance of the age required by law . Similar provisions were made for Drusus . Civil and military career . Shortly thereafter Tiberius began appearing in court as an advocate , and it is presumably here that his interest in Greek rhetoric began . In 20 BC , Tiberius was sent East under Marcus Agrippa . The Parthians had captured the standards of the legions under the command of Marcus Licinius Crassus ( 53 BC ) ( at the Battle of Carrhae ) , Decidius Saxa ( 40 BC ) , and Marc Antony ( 36 BC ) . After a year of negotiation , Tiberius led a sizable force into Armenia , presumably with the goal of establishing it as a Roman client - state and stopping it remaining a threat on the Roman - Parthian border . Augustus was able to reach a compromise whereby these standards were returned , and Armenia remained a neutral territory between the two powers . After returning from the East in 19 BC , Tiberius was married to Vipsania Agrippina , the daughter of Augustus ’ s close friend and greatest general , Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa . He was appointed to the position of praetor , and sent with his legions to assist his brother Drusus in campaigns in the west . While Drusus focused his forces in Gallia Narbonensis and along the German frontier , Tiberius combated the tribes in the Alps and within Transalpine Gaul , conquering Raetia . In 15 BC he discovered the sources of the Danube , and soon afterwards the bend of the middle course . Returning to Rome in 13 BC , Tiberius was appointed as consul , and around this same time his son , Drusus Julius Caesar , was born . Agrippa ' s death in 12 BC elevated Tiberius and Drusus with respect to the succession . At Augustus ’ request in 11 BC , Tiberius divorced Vipsania and married Julia the Elder , Augustus ' daughter and Agrippa ' s widow . This event seems to have been the breaking point for Tiberius ; his new marriage with Julia was never a happy one , and produced only a single child who died in infancy . Reportedly , Tiberius once ran into Vipsania again , and proceeded to follow her home crying and begging forgiveness ; soon afterwards , Tiberius met with Augustus , and steps were taken to ensure that Tiberius and Vipsania would never meet again . Tiberius continued to be elevated by Augustus , and after Agrippa ' s death and his brother Drusus ' death in 9 BC , seemed the clear candidate for succession . As such , in 12 BC he received military commissions in Pannonia and Germania ; both areas highly volatile and of key importance to Augustan policy . In 6 BC , Tiberius launched a pincer movement against the Marcomanni . Setting out northwest from Carnuntum on the Danube with four legions , Tiberius passed through Quadi territory in order to invade the Marcomanni from the east . Meanwhile , general Gaius Sentius Saturninus would depart east from Moguntiacum on the Rhine with two or three legions , pass through newly annexed Hermunduri territory , and attack the Marcomanni from the west . The campaign was a resounding success , but Tiberius could not subjugate the Marcomanni because he was soon summoned to the Rhine frontier to protect Rome ' s new conquests in Germania . He returned to Rome and was consul for a second time in 7 BC , and in 6 BC was granted tribunician power " ( tribunicia potestas ) " and control in the East , all of which mirrored positions that Agrippa had previously held . However , despite these successes and despite his advancement , Tiberius was not happy . Retirement to Rhodes ( 6 BC ) . In 6 BC , on the verge of accepting command in the East and becoming the second most powerful man in Rome , Tiberius suddenly announced his withdrawal from politics and retired to Rhodes . The precise motives for Tiberius ' s withdrawal are unclear . Historians have speculated a connection with the fact that Augustus had adopted Julia ' s sons by Agrippa Gaius and Lucius , and seemed to be moving them along the same political path that both Tiberius and Drusus had trodden . Tiberius ' s move thus seemed to be an interim solution : he would hold power only until his stepsons would come of age , and then be swept aside . The promiscuous , and very public , behavior of his unhappily married wife , Julia , may have also played a part . Indeed , Tacitus calls it Tiberius ' " intima causa " , his innermost reason for departing for Rhodes , and seems to ascribe the entire move to a hatred of Julia and a longing for Vipsania . Tiberius had found himself married to a woman he loathed , who publicly humiliated him with nighttime escapades in the Forum , and forbidden to see the woman he had loved . Whatever Tiberius ' s motives , the withdrawal was almost disastrous for Augustus ' s succession plans . Gaius and Lucius were still in their early teens , and Augustus , now 57 years old , had no immediate successor . There was no longer a guarantee of a peaceful transfer of power after Augustus ' s death , nor a guarantee that his family , and therefore his family ' s allies , would continue to hold power should the position of " princeps " survive . Somewhat apocryphal stories tell of Augustus pleading with Tiberius to stay , even going so far as to stage a serious illness . Tiberius ' s response was to anchor off the shore of Ostia until word came that Augustus had survived , then sailing straightway for Rhodes . Tiberius reportedly discovered the error of his ways and requested to return to Rome several times , but each time Augustus refused his requests . Heir to Augustus . With Tiberius ' s departure , succession rested solely on Augustus ' two young grandsons , Lucius and Gaius Caesar . The situation became more precarious in AD 2 with the death of Lucius . Augustus , with perhaps some pressure from Livia , allowed Tiberius to return to Rome as a private citizen and nothing more . In AD 4 , Gaius was killed in Armenia , and Augustus had no other choice but to turn to Tiberius . The death of Gaius in AD 4 initiated a flurry of activity in the household of Augustus . Tiberius was adopted as full son and heir and in turn , he was required to adopt his nephew , Germanicus , the son of his brother Drusus and Augustus ' niece Antonia Minor . Along with his adoption , Tiberius received tribunician power as well as a share of Augustus ' s " maius imperium " , something that even Marcus Agrippa may never have had . In AD 7 , Agrippa Postumus , a younger brother of Gaius and Lucius , was disowned by Augustus and banned to the island of Pianosa , to live in solitary confinement . Thus , when in AD 12 , the powers held by Tiberius were made equal , rather than second , to Augustus ' s own powers , he was for all intents and purposes a " co - princeps " with Augustus , and in the event of the latter ' s passing , would simply continue to rule without an interregnum or possible upheaval . However , according to Suetonius , after a two - year stint in Germania , which lasted from 10−12 AD , " Tiberius returned and celebrated the triumph which he had postponed , accompanied also by his generals , for whom he had obtained the triumphal regalia . And before turning to enter the Capitol , he dismounted from his chariot and fell at the knees of his father , who was presiding over the ceremonies . ” " Since the consuls caused a law to be passed soon after this that he should govern the provinces jointly with Augustus and hold the census with him , he set out for Illyricum on the conclusion of the lustral ceremonies . " Thus according to Suetonius , these ceremonies and the declaration of his " co - princeps " took place in the year 12 AD , after Tiberius return from Germania . " But he was at once recalled , and finding Augustus in his last illness but still alive , he spent an entire day with him in private . " Augustus died in AD 14 , at the age of 75 . He was buried with all due ceremony and , as had been arranged beforehand , deified , his will read , and Tiberius confirmed as his sole surviving heir . As Emperor ( 14 AD ) . Early reign . The Senate convened on 18 September , to validate Tiberius ' s position as Princeps and , as it had done with Augustus before , extend the powers of the position to him . These proceedings are fully accounted by Tacitus . Tiberius already had the administrative and political powers of the Princeps , all he lacked were the titles — Augustus , Pater Patriae , and the Civic Crown ( a crown made from laurel and oak , in honor of Augustus having saved the lives of Roman citizens ) . Tiberius , however , attempted to play the same role as Augustus : that of the reluctant public servant who wants nothing more than to serve the state . This ended up throwing the entire affair into confusion , and rather than humble , he came across as derisive ; rather than seeming to want to serve the state , he seemed obstructive . He cited his age as a reason why he could not act as Princeps , stated he did not wish the position , and then proceeded to ask for only a section of the state . Tiberius finally relented and accepted the powers voted to him , though according to Tacitus and Suetonius he refused to bear the titles Pater Patriae , Imperator , and Augustus , and declined the most solid emblem of the Princeps , the Civic Crown and laurels . This meeting seems to have set the tone for Tiberius ' s entire rule . He seems to have wished for the Senate and the state to simply act without him and his direct orders were rather vague , inspiring debate more on what he actually meant than on passing his legislation . In his first few years , Tiberius seemed to have wanted the Senate to act on its own , rather than as a servant to his will as it had been under Augustus . According to Tacitus , Tiberius derided the Senate as " men fit to be slaves . " Rise and fall of Germanicus . Problems arose quickly for the new Princeps . The Roman legions posted in Pannonia and in Germania had not been paid the bonuses promised them by Augustus , and after a short period of time mutinied when it was clear that a response from Tiberius was not forthcoming . Germanicus and Tiberius ' s son , Drusus Julius Caesar , were dispatched with a small force to quell the uprising and bring the legions back in line . Rather than simply quell the mutiny however , Germanicus rallied the mutineers and led them on a short campaign across the Rhine into Germanic territory , stating that whatever treasure they could grab would count as their bonus . Germanicus ' s forces crossed the Rhine and quickly occupied all of the territory between the Rhine and the Elbe . Additionally , Tacitus records the capture of the Teutoburg forest and the reclaiming of Roman standards lost years before by Publius Quinctilius Varus , when three Roman legions and its auxiliary cohorts had been ambushed by Germanic tribes . Germanicus had managed to deal a significant blow to Rome ' s enemies , quell an uprising of troops , and returned lost standards to Rome , actions that increased the fame and legend of the already very popular Germanicus with the Roman people . After being recalled from Germania , Germanicus celebrated a triumph in Rome in AD 17 , the first full triumph that the city had seen since Augustus ' s own in 29 BC . As a result , in AD 18 Germanicus was granted control over the eastern part of the empire , just as both Agrippa and Tiberius had received before , and was clearly the successor to Tiberius . Germanicus survived a little over a year before dying , accusing Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso , the governor of Syria , of poisoning him . The Pisones had been longtime supporters of the Claudians , and had allied themselves with the young Octavian after his marriage to Livia , the mother of Tiberius . Germanicus ' s death and accusations indicted the new Princeps . Piso was placed on trial and , according to Tacitus , threatened to implicate Tiberius . Whether the governor actually could connect the Princeps to the death of Germanicus is unknown ; rather than continuing to stand trial when it became evident that the Senate was against him , Piso committed suicide . Tiberius seems to have tired of politics at this point . In AD 22 , he shared his tribunician authority with his son Drusus , and began making yearly excursions to Campania that reportedly became longer and longer every year . In AD 23 , Drusus mysteriously died , and Tiberius seems to have made no effort to elevate a replacement . Finally , in AD 26 , Tiberius retired from Rome altogether to the island of Capri . Tiberius in Capri , with Sejanus in Rome . Lucius Aelius Sejanus had served the imperial family for almost twenty years when he became Praetorian Prefect in AD 15 . As Tiberius became more embittered with the position of Princeps , he began to depend more and more upon the limited secretariat left to him by Augustus , and specifically upon Sejanus and the Praetorians . In AD 17 or 18 , Tiberius had trimmed the ranks of the Praetorian Guard responsible for the defense of the city , and had moved it from encampments outside of the city walls into the city itself , giving Sejanus access to somewhere between 6000 and 9000 troops . The death of Drusus elevated Sejanus , at least in Tiberius ' s eyes , who thereafter refers to him as his ' Socius Laborum ' ( Partner of my labours ) . Tiberius had statues of Sejanus erected throughout the city , and Sejanus became more and more visible as Tiberius began to withdraw from Rome altogether . Finally , with Tiberius ' s withdrawal in AD 26 , Sejanus was left in charge of the entire state mechanism and the city of Rome . Sejanus ' s position was not quite that of successor ; he had requested marriage in AD 25 to Tiberius ' s niece , Livilla , though under pressure quickly withdrew the request . While Sejanus ' s Praetorians controlled the imperial post , and therefore the information that Tiberius received from Rome and the information Rome received from Tiberius , the presence of Livia seems to have checked his overt power for a time . Her death in AD 29 changed all that . Sejanus began a series of purge trials of Senators and wealthy equestrians in the city of Rome , removing those capable of opposing his power as well as extending the imperial ( and his own ) treasury . Germanicus ' s widow Agrippina the Elder and two of her sons , Nero Caesar and Drusus Caesar were arrested and exiled in AD 30 and later all died in suspicious circumstances . In Sejanus ' s purge of Agrippina the Elder and her family , Caligula , Agrippina the Younger , Julia Drusilla , and Julia Livilla were the only survivors . Plot by Sejanus against Tiberius . In 31 , Sejanus held the consulship with Tiberius " in absentia , " and began his play for power in earnest . Precisely what happened is difficult to determine , but Sejanus seems to have covertly attempted to court those families who were tied to the Julians , and attempted to ingratiate himself with the Julian family line with an eye towards placing himself , as an adopted Julian , in the position of Princeps , or as a possible regent . Livilla was later implicated in this plot , and was revealed to have been Sejanus ' s lover for a number of years . The plot seems to have involved the two of them overthrowing Tiberius , with the support of the Julians , and either assuming the Principate themselves , or serving as regent to the young Tiberius Gemellus or possibly even Gaius Caligula . Those who stood in his way were tried for treason and swiftly dealt with . In AD 31 Sejanus was summoned to a meeting of the Senate , where a letter from Tiberius was read condemning Sejanus and ordering his immediate execution . Sejanus was tried , and he and several of his colleagues were executed within the week . As commander of the Praetorian Guard , he was replaced by Naevius Sutorius Macro . Tacitus claims that more treason trials followed and that whereas Tiberius had been hesitant to act at the outset of his reign , now , towards the end of his life , he seemed to do so without compunction . Hardest hit were those families with political ties to the Julians . Even the imperial magistracy was hit , as any and all who had associated with Sejanus or could in some way be tied to his schemes were summarily tried and executed , their properties seized by the state ( in a similar way , in the few years after Valeria Messalina ' s death , Agrippina the Younger removed anyone she considered loyal to Messalina ' s memory , much in the same way that Sejanus ' s followers were executed ) . As Tacitus vividly describes , However , Tacitus ' portrayal of a tyrannical , vengeful emperor has been challenged by several modern historians . The prominent ancient historian Edward Togo Salmon notes in his work , " A history of the Roman world from 30 BC to AD 138 " : While Tiberius was in Capri , rumours abounded as to what exactly he was doing there . Suetonius records the rumours of lurid tales of sexual perversity , including graphic depictions of child molestation , and cruelty , and most of all his paranoia . While heavily sensationalized , Suetonius ' stories at least paint a picture of how Tiberius was perceived by the Roman people , and what his impact on the Principate was during his 23 years of rule . Final years . The affair with Sejanus and the final years of treason trials permanently damaged Tiberius ' image and reputation . After Sejanus ' s fall , Tiberius ' withdrawal from Rome was complete ; the empire continued to run under the inertia of the bureaucracy established by Augustus , rather than through the leadership of the Princeps . Suetonius records that he became paranoid , and spent a great deal of time brooding over the death of his son . Meanwhile , during this period a short invasion by Parthia , incursions by tribes from Dacia and from across the Rhine by several Germanic tribes occurred . Little was done to either secure or indicate how his succession was to take place ; the Julians and their supporters had fallen to the wrath of Sejanus , and his own sons and immediate family were dead . Two of the candidates were either Caligula , the sole surviving son of Germanicus , or his own grandson , Tiberius Gemellus . However , only a half - hearted attempt at the end of Tiberius ' life was made to make Caligula a quaestor , and thus give him some credibility as a possible successor , while Gemellus himself was still only a teenager and thus completely unsuitable for some years to come . Death ( 37 AD ) . Tiberius died in Misenum on 16 March AD 37 , at the age of 77 . Tacitus records that upon the news of his death the crowd rejoiced , only to become suddenly silent upon hearing that he had recovered , and rejoiced again at the news that Caligula and Macro had smothered him . This is not recorded by other ancient historians and is most likely apocryphal , but it can be taken as an indication of how the senatorial class felt towards the Emperor at the time of his death . In his will , Tiberius had left his powers jointly to Caligula and Tiberius Gemellus . Caligula ' s first act on becoming Princeps was to void Tiberius ' will and have Gemellus executed . The level of unpopularity Tiberius had achieved by the time of his death with both the upper and lower classes is revealed by these facts : the Senate refused to vote him divine honors , and mobs filled the streets yelling " To the Tiber with Tiberius ! " — in reference to a method of disposal reserved for the corpses of criminals . Instead the body of the emperor was cremated and his ashes were quietly laid in the Mausoleum of Augustus , later to be scattered in 410 during the Sack of Rome . Tiberius ' heir Caligula not only spent Tiberius ' fortune of 2 , 700 , 000 , 000 sesterces but would also begin the chain of events which would bring about the downfall of the Julio - Claudian dynasty in 68 . Legacy . Historiography . Were he to have died prior to AD 23 , he might have been hailed as an exemplary ruler . Despite the overwhelmingly negative characterization left by Roman historians , Tiberius left the imperial treasury with nearly 3 billion sesterces upon his death . Rather than embark on costly campaigns of conquest , he chose to strengthen the existing empire by building additional bases , using diplomacy as well as military threats , and generally refraining from getting drawn into petty squabbles between competing frontier tyrants . The result was a stronger , more consolidated empire . Of the authors whose texts have survived until the present day , only four describe the reign of Tiberius in considerable detail : Tacitus , Suetonius , Cassius Dio and Velleius Paterculus . Fragmentary evidence also remains from Pliny the Elder , Strabo and Seneca the Elder . Tiberius himself wrote an autobiography which Suetonius describes as " brief and sketchy , " but this book has been lost . Publius Cornelius Tacitus . The most detailed account of this period is handed down to us by Tacitus , whose " Annals " dedicate the first six books entirely to the reign of Tiberius . Tacitus was a Roman senator , born during the reign of Nero in 56 AD , and consul suffect in AD 97 . His text is largely based on the " acta senatus " ( the minutes of the session of the Senate ) and the " acta diurna populi Romani " ( a collection of the acts of the government and news of the court and capital ) , as well as speeches by Tiberius himself , and the histories of contemporaries such as Cluvius Rufus , Fabius Rusticus and Pliny the Elder ( all of which are lost ) . Tacitus ' narrative emphasizes both political and psychological motivation . The characterisation of Tiberius throughout the first six books is mostly negative , and gradually worsens as his rule declines , identifying a clear breaking point with the death of Drusus in 23 AD . The rule of Julio - Claudians is generally described as unjust and ' criminal ' by Tacitus . Even at the outset of his reign , he seems to ascribe many of Tiberius ' virtues merely to hypocrisy . Another major recurring theme concerns the balance of power between the Senate and the Emperors , corruption , and the growing tyranny among the governing classes of Rome . A substantial amount of his account on Tiberius is therefore devoted to the treason trials and persecutions following the revival of the " maiestas " law under Augustus . Ultimately , Tacitus ' opinion on Tiberius is best illustrated by his conclusion of the sixth book : Suetonius Tranquillus . Suetonius was an equestrian who held administrative posts during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian . " The Twelve Caesars " details a biographical history of the principate from the birth of Julius Caesar to the death of Domitian in AD 96 . Like Tacitus , he drew upon the imperial archives , as well as histories by Aufidius Bassus , Cluvius Rufus , Fabius Rusticus and Augustus ' own letters . His account is more sensationalist and anecdotal than that of his contemporary . The most famous sections of his biography delve into the numerous alleged debaucheries Tiberius remitted himself to while at Capri . Nevertheless , Suetonius also reserves praise for Tiberius ' actions during his early reign , emphasizing his modesty . Velleius Paterculus . One of the few surviving sources contemporary with the rule of Tiberius comes from Velleius Paterculus , who served under Tiberius for eight years ( from AD 4 ) in Germany and Pannonia as praefect of cavalry and " legatus " . Paterculus ' " Compendium of Roman History " spans a period from the fall of Troy to the death of Livia in AD 29 . His text on Tiberius lavishes praise on both the emperor and Sejanus . How much of this is due to genuine admiration or prudence remains an open question , but it has been conjectured that he was put to death in AD 31 as a friend of Sejanus . Gospels , Jews , and Christians . The Gospel s mention that during Tiberius ' reign , Jesus of Nazareth preached and was executed under the authority of Pontius Pilate , the Roman governor of Judaea province . In the Bible , Tiberius is mentioned by name only once , in " Luke 3 : 1 " , stating that John the Baptist entered on his public ministry in the fifteenth year of his reign . Many references to " Caesar " ( or " the emperor " in some other translations ) , without further specification , would seem to refer to Tiberius . Similarly , the " Tribute Penny " referred to in Matthew and Mark is popularly thought to be a silver denarius coin of Tiberius . During Tiberius ' early reign Jews had become more prominent in Rome and Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus began proselytizing Roman citizens , increasing long - simmering resentments . Tiberius in 19 AD ordered Jews who were of military age to join the Roman Army . Tiberius banished the rest of the Jews from Rome and threatened to enslave them for life if they did not leave the city . There is considerable debate among historians as to when Christianity was differentiated from Judaism . According to Tertullian , Tiberius had requested the Senate , a few years after Christ ' s crucifixion , to publicly recognize Christianity . Most scholars believe that Roman distinction between Jews and Christians took place around 70 AD Tiberius most likely viewed Christians as a Jewish sect rather than a separate , distinct faith . Archaeology . The palace of Tiberius at Rome was located on the Palatine Hill , the ruins of which can still be seen today . No major public works were undertaken in the city during his reign , except a temple dedicated to Augustus and the restoration of the theater of Pompey , both of which were not finished until the reign of Caligula . In addition , remnants of Tiberius ' villa at Sperlonga , which includes a grotto where several Rhodean sculptures have been recovered , and the " Villa Jovis " on top of Capri have been preserved . The original complex at Capri is thought to have spanned a total of twelve villas across the island , of which " Villa Jovis " was the largest . Tiberius refused to be worshipped as a living god , and allowed only one temple to be built in his honor at Smyrna . The town Tiberias , in modern Israel on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee was named in Tiberius ' s honour by Herod Antipas . In fiction . Tiberius has been represented in fiction , in literature , film and television , and in video games , often as a peripheral character in the central storyline . One such modern representation is in the novel " I , Claudius " by Robert Graves , and the consequent BBC television series adaptation , where he is portrayed by George Baker . In " I , Claudius " Tiberius is morose and sulking , lacking the ambition of his mother to become Emperor ; Tiberius ' chief flaw is that he desperately wants to be loved , in a desperate plea to be loved after his life Tiberius chooses Caligula as his successor knowing that he will be a worse Emperor . Like Tacitus records , Tiberius is smothered by Macro when he wakes after apparently dying . He also appears as a minor character in the 2006 film " The Inquiry " , in which he is played by Max von Sydow . In addition , Tiberius has prominent roles in " Ben - Hur " ( played by George Relph in his last starring role ) , the 1968 ITV historical drama " The Caesars " ( by André Morell ) , in " Caligula " ( played by Peter O ' Toole ) and in " A . D . " ( played by James Mason ) . Played by Ernest Thesiger , he featured in " The Robe " ( 1953 ) . He was featured in the 1979 film " Caligula " , portrayed by Peter O ' Toole . He was an important character in Taylor Caldwell ' s 1958 novel , " Dear and Glorious Physician " , a biography of St Luke the Evangelist , author of the third canonical Gospel . He is featured as a young man in Michelle Moran ' s novel " Cleopatra ' s Daughter " , a novel about the life of Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios . Children and family . Tiberius was married two times , with only his first union proceeding a child who would survive to adulthood :