18 CE

Apollo does not always bring good news — Germanicus

The imperial heir Germanicus consulted Klaros in person in 18 CE; Apollo foretold him a grim fate — and the oracle came true.

Apollo does not always bring good news — Germanicus

Tacitus recounts that in 18 CE Germanicus — the adopted son, and thus heir apparent, of the Emperor Tiberius — consulted Apollo of Klaros in person. Sent to the East with broad authority by the Roman Senate, Germanicus descended into the temple's adyton to ask about his future.

To Germanicus, who asked what awaited him, the god's answer was plain: a grim fate lay ahead of him.

And the oracle came true. A year after this consultation Germanicus fell ill and died at Antioch, never having become emperor.

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