8.7 Understanding and using the sources

Sources 26-30

  1. List the honours, titles and powers held by Agrippina indicated in the sources. What is the significance of each?

Honour/Title/Power

Significance

Wearing a diadem - S26

An exceptional honour usually reserved for goddesses.

Receiving the title of Augusta - S27 & S28

An honorific title given to honoured women of imperial families or emperor’s wives

  1. What is the significance of the comparison between Messalina and Agrippina in Sources 27 and 28?

The characteristics of Messalina were quite different to Agrippina. Messalina was a woman “who toyed with national affairs to satisfy her appetites”. Meaning that she was a selfish being, only seeking to please her own needs above others’. Agrippina was “austere and often arrogant”. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself but she was also reserved too.

  1. What evidence do Sources 27 and 28 provide of Agrippina’s abilities and achievements in Claudius’ reign?