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[[File: 1200px-Villa Jovis.jpg |thumb|left|Ruins of the villa on Capri where Tiberius lived]]
==Imperial Cult==
From the First Century AD until the conversion of Constantine, the Emperor after his death was worshiped as a God. Augustus was the first Emperor to receive divine honors in his lifetime, something that was unprecedented in Rome but common in Hellenistic Kingdoms. Augustus after his death was accorded divine status and temples were built to celebrate his cult all over the Empire. Tiberius was reluctant to receive divine honors during his lifetime and he rejected proposals to build temples to honor his divinity. However, he appeared to have realized the importance of the Imperial cult as a means of social and political control. <ref>Gradel, Ittai, Emperor Worship and Roman Religion (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 116 </ref>. Tiberius encouraged the cult worship of Augustus and helped to create a religious brotherhood of freedmen (freed slaves), who tended to the worship cult of the First Emperor <ref>Tacitus, Annals, iv</ref>. Tiberius established the precedent whereby the Emperor if deemed worthy, was to be worshiped as a God after his death but not during his life. This was more acceptable to Roman sensibilities that the Hellenistic model, whereby Kings were worshiped as Gods in their lifetime. Tiberius deliberately cultivated the Imperial cult in order to safeguard and extend Imperial authority <ref> Gradel, p. 11</ref>. This cult also helped to turn future Emperors into absolute rulers.
==Conclusion==
Tiberius was not a popular figure in his time and his portrayal by historians such as Tacitus portrayed him as a gloomy tyrant. He was more than this. Tiberius was one of the most important military commanders during a critical time. He expanded the Empire and helped to secure its frontiers for many decades. Tiberius as the second Emperor did much to strengthen the Imperial office by promoting the cult of the Emperor and by ensuring the Senators were subordinate to Primus Princeps. He was also a talented administrator who reformed the civil service and the Imperial fiscal system. However, his transfer of power to Sejanus was unforgivable and he left Rome to the mercy of a tyrant and this detracts from his reputation for providing good government. Tiberius treatment of the Senate and his treason laws were an important step away from the system developed by Augustus. The second Emperor helped not only to strengthen the position of the Emperor but he also made it more autocratic.
==References==
