Ahhay and welcome to Emperor of Rome, a podcast about the rulers of the ancient Roman Empire.

I'm your host Matt Smith and with me as always is Dr.

Rianen Evans, a lecturer in ancient Mediterranean studies at Latrobe University.

This is episode X, X, X I, Vespasian as prophesied.

In the last episode of Emperor's Rome, we learned of the origin of Vespasian,

an effective military leader who seems satisfied with his career.

So what could make such a man enter the Civil War and try and become the next emperor?

And how could somebody of the equestion rank have a valid claim?

Sounds to me like somebody needs a prophecy or two, or three, or four.

We have lots of signs recorded that show that Phospasian was meant to be Emperor, and some of them are quite

outstanding. Things like his mother noticed that a tree grew certain branches when each of her children was born and the one that grew when

her daughter was born, the daughter didn't live very long, was withered and died very quickly.

And the one that grew when Sabinas, her elder son, was born, became quite strong and vigorous,

but the one that grew when Vespasian was born became practically its own tree.

So this idea that he is going to be outstanding, he's going to be somebody who grows

outside of his own status. She laughed that off, didn't she though? Yes, and she seems to have been quite cynical about Vespasian having any future, kind of

of hassling him, trying to get him to work harder, but clearly not believing that he ever really

would make it anywhere.

So Vespasian had the support of a tree? He did and

apparently not the active support of his mother. I think if we can psycho analyze

which is always dangerous, ancient people, then you could say I think that this made Vespasian quite tough.

He kind of acts on his own resources, his own initiative, because he is.

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