Abstract
Recently, an especially rich growth area in Classics has been critical engagement with concepts of physical space (both real and imagined). This chapter contributes to these wider debates through the distinctive field of ‘proxemics’(originally rooted in the disciplines of social anthropology and psychology, but especially fruitful when applied to ancient depictions of Roman emperors). By using Tiberius as a case study, the chapter maps out how creatively ancient sources depict the emperor in spatial terms. The proxemically challenged Tiberius is so often seen embracing either excessive proximity or excessive distance. Amidst ever widening concentric circles, ranging from his immediate family in the imperial domus to far-distant peoples on the margins of empire, Tiberius is repeatedly shown mishandling his own position in space. The chapter plots Tiberius’ proxemic errors by close readings of suggestive scenes in Tacitus and Suetonius. Above all, Tacitus caustically exploits concepts of physical space and proxemics in portraying Tiberius, wittily cast as a deviant asteroid or comet, gravitationally bound to Rome, but with his own eccentric and unpredictable orbit (Annals 6.15). Ultimately, Tacitus displays ‘Tiberius in space’ during the twilight years of his principate, when the quirky emperor becomes a satellite menacingly circling the city as if heralding his own imminent demise.
