These authors drew on a shared historical tradition about the collapse of Nero’s regime, the civil wars of 68–69 CE, and the emergence of Vespasian... importance to the safety of Vespasian.
Their decay – through idleness, disease, and lack of leadership – coincided with the rise of a rival emperor, Vespasian... Throughout Vespasian’s reign, Domitian was publicly visible but unmistakably secondary.