Marcus Julius Vestinus Atticus (died April 65) was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

senator, who flourished under the reign of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

. He was

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 ...

in the year 65 as the colleague of

Aulus Licinius Nerva Silianus Aulus Licinius Nerva Silianus was a Roman senator, who was active during the Principate. He was consul in AD 7 as the colleague of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus Silanus. Silianus was born the second of three sons of Publius Silius Nerva, co ...

; after his suicide he was replaced by Publius Pasidienus Firmus.

Family

Werner Eck Werner Eck (born 17 December 1939) is Professor of Ancient History at Cologne University, Germany, and a noted expert on the history and epigraphy of imperial Rome.Eck, W. (2007) ''The Age of Augustus''. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, cover notes. Hi ...

identifies Atticus as the son of the '' Praefectus Aegypti'' Lucius Julius Vestinus. Vestinus Atticus married Statilia Messalina, with whom

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

states Nero had an affair prior to their marriage.Tacitus, ''

Annales Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts. List of works with titles contai ...

'', XV.68 André Balland has argued that Messalina and Atticus had a son, to whom Martial addressed one of his epigrams (VII.32)

His death

According to Suetonius, Nero murdered Atticus because he wanted to marry Messalina; after his death, Nero made Messalina his third wife. However, Tacitus provides a more detailed account of how Nero brought about Atticus' downfall: he had been a friend of Nero, but the emperor grew to hate him because Atticus saw through him and despised "the emperor's cowardice, while Nero feared the high spirits of his friend, who often bantered him with that rough humor which, when it draws largely on facts, leaves a bitter memory behind it." Nero had hoped Atticus was party to the disastrous

Pisonian conspiracy The conspiracy of Gaius Calpurnius Piso in AD 65 was a in the reign of the Roman emperor Nero (reign 54–68). The plot reflected the growing discontent among the ruling class of the Roman state with Nero's increasingly despotic leadership, a ...

, but Tacitus reports "many thought" Gaius Calpurnius Piso had not invited Atticus to take part because of his "enterprising spirit" that would replace Piso with another candidate as emperor, or even restore the Republic.Tacitus, ''Annales'', XV.52 When none of the conspirators named him as involved, Nero abused the

Law of majestas The law of majestas, or ''lex maiestatis'', encompasses several ancient Roman laws (''leges maiestatis'') throughout the Republican and Imperial periods dealing with crimes against the Roman people, state, or Emperor. Description In Roman law, th ...

and dispatched the tribune Gerellanus with a cohort of soldiers to Atticus' house, which towered over the Forum.Tacitus, ''Annales'', XV.69 The soldiers found Atticus at his house entertaining guests, and delivered the tribune's summons. Understanding the purpose of the summons, Atticus immediately retired to his bed chambers where he killed himself. Meanwhile, the soldiers detained his guests for hours, only allowing them to leave "at a late hour of the night". Tacitus notes that Nero had "laughed over their terror at the expectation of a fatal end to their banquet" before saying "that they had suffered enough punishment for the consul's entertainment" and giving the order to release them.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Julius Vestinus Atticus, Marcus 1st-century Romans Imperial Roman consuls Year of birth unknown 65 deaths Members of the Pisonian conspiracy Vestinus Atticus

Family

His death

See also

References