9. Emperor Tiberius bucked the trend for young Emperors and ruled over Rome in his 60s and 70s
Most Roman Emperors came to power in their 30s, or even younger. After all, in the unforgiving world of Ancient Rome, men were supposed to be dominant, virile and strong; any sign of weakness, including that of old age would be pounced on by rivals. As such, older emperors were very rare indeed. Even Marcus Aurelius, widely regarded as a wise philosopher and often portrayed as a calm, thoughtful, older man, was only 58 when he died. Tiberius was an exception to this rule. He came to power at the age of 55 and remained the most powerful man in the world until he died aged 77.
Though he was an old Emperor, Tiberius was far from wise. In fact, he is often named as being one of the worst of all Roman rulers. Pliny the Elder famously called him “the gloomiest of men” and he spent much of his rule outside of the city of Rome, delegating the task of ruling the Empire to his trusted allies. Over recent years, some scholars have tried to salvage his reputation. According to his fans, Tiberius was nowhere near as disinterested or depraved as his critics have long maintained. After all, they argue, he left the Empire not only solvent but stable too – something his successor, the much younger Caligula placed in jeopardy almost straight away.