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Titus Vestricius Spurinna (c. 24 – after 105 AD) was a
Roman senator The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...
,
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
, and a friend and role model of
Pliny the Younger Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo (61 – c. 113), better known as Pliny the Younger (), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate ...
.Jo-Ann Shelton, ''The Women of Pliny's Letters'' (Routledge, 2013), p. 131. He was consul at least twice, the first time possibly in 72, and the second in the year 98 as the colleague of the emperor
Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
. Spurinna is one of the correspondents in Pliny's ''Letters'', and had literary interests of his own, including writing
lyric poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though song lyrics are often in the lyric mode, and it is also ''not'' equi ...
. Pliny says dinner parties at his home were often enlivened by scenes from
Roman comedy The architectural form of theatre in Rome has been linked to later, more well-known examples from the 1st century BC to the 3rd Century AD. The theatre of ancient Rome referred to as a period of time in which theatrical practice and performance t ...
. Pliny admired Vestricius Spurinna for his active but orderly life as a septuagenarian. He enjoyed conversation, reading and writing, exercise, and
bathing Bathing is the act of washing the body, usually with water, or the immersion of the body in water. It may be practiced for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes. By analogy, especially as a recreational activity, the term is ...
. His diet was simple but good, and he enjoyed the full use of his faculties, remaining both physically and mentally vigorous.


Life

"The origins of Vestricius Spurinna is nowhere documented," writes
Ronald Syme Sir Ronald Syme, (11 March 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. He was regarded as the greatest historian of ancient Rome since Theodor Mommsen and the most brilliant exponent of the history of the Roman ...
, then a few lines later states he was "presumably a Transpadane". Syme also notes that Spurinna's ''
gentilicium The (or simply ) was a hereditary name borne by the peoples of Roman Italy and later by the citizens of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It was originally the name of one's (family or clan) by patrilineal descent. However, as Rome expande ...
'' and ''
cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...
'' both are Etruscan, then states the ''gentilicium'', Vestricius, appears only one other time in the entire Italian peninsula, an inscription at Florentia. Spurinna first appears in history during the
Year of the Four Emperors The Year of the Four Emperors, AD 69, was the first civil war of the Roman Empire, during which four emperors ruled in succession: Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian. It is considered an important interval, marking the transition from the ...
, when Appius Annius Gallus, one of
Otho Marcus Otho (; born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was the seventh Roman emperor, ruling for three months from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. A member of a noble Etr ...
's generals, put him in command of a detachment of some 3,000 men, to garrison Placentia, while Gallus occupied
Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...
. Spurinna commanded an unruly force, far too eager to engage their counterparts on the Vitellian side. When he tried to keep this force inside the city, the troops threatened to mutiny; as a wily move, Spurinna agreed to their demands. The next day the soldiers marched forth; when nightfall came, they were surprised to find they must construct a camp. According to standard Roman practice, this would include digging a trench and erecting a wall around the encampment. When the soldiers started having second thoughts, their officers seized the opportunity to praise "Spurinna's foresight in selecting Placentia as a strongpoint." The men acquiesced and marched back to Placentia where they enthusiastically set to work on improving the city's fortifications. Spurinna's role in the following the
First Battle of Bedriacum The Battle of Bedriacum refers to two battles fought during the Year of the Four Emperors (AD 69) near the village of Bedriacum (now Calvatone), about from the town of Cremona in northern Italy. The fighting in fact took place between Bedriacum ...
is not recorded; Syme notes Tacitus allows him "to fade out, perhaps mercifully: there is no sign of his whereabouts during the battle or the surrender." It is possible that Tacitus learned of Spurinna's handling of his unruly troops from Spurinna himself; Syme suggests as much, then in a footnote admits, "Not, however, that Tacitus' account need derive anywhere directly from Spurinna, although the old fellow was still alive c. 105" He is said to have "held no office under
Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...
after it became dishonorable to do so," but under
Nerva Nerva (; originally Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dy ...
, Spurinna was governor of
Germania Inferior Germania Inferior ("Lower Germania") was a Roman province from AD 85 until the province was renamed Germania Secunda in the fourth century, on the west bank of the Rhine bordering the North Sea. The capital of the province was Colonia Agripp ...
in 97, at the age of 73. He was awarded a triumphal statue for his military service.


Family

The wife of Vestricius Spurinna was Cottia, who was probably considerably younger. They had at least one son, who died around 97 or 98 AD before he had begun a political career, which typically began at the age of thirty. Pliny refers to the son as Cottius, from his mother's '' nomen'', an example of how in the
Imperial era The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...
sons might preserve their mother's name as well as their father's.Shelton, ''The Women of Pliny's Letters'', p. 132.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vestricius Spurinna, Titus 1st-century Romans 20s births 2nd-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain Senators of the Roman Empire Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Germania Inferior