Explanation: When Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, was looking for successors, he suffered a plague of bad luck. Heir after heir died before Augustus did - from his best friend and most successful general, Agrippa, to his gifted and brilliant grandchildren. Eventually, the only suitable heir who was left was Augustus's stepson, Tiberius. The thing is, while Tiberius was an intelligent and accomplished man, he was also a notoriously gloomy man who didn't even want to be Emperor. As such, Augustus was truly desperate to go to Tiberius in search of an heir!