Titus Statilius Taurus was the name of a line of

Roman senators The Roman Senate () was the highest and constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in 753 BC) as the Senat ...

. The first known and most important of these was a Roman general and two-time

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 thro ...

prominent during the Triumviral and Augustan periods. The other men who bore this name were his descendants.

Titus Statilius Taurus (I)

Titus Statilius Taurus (I) was a general and twice consul during the Triumviral and Augustan periods. This Taurus was a '' novus homo'' ("new man" or "

self-made man A self-made man is a person whose success is of their own making. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, has been described as the greatest exemplar of the self-made man. Inspired by Franklin's autobiography, Fr ...

") from the region of

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy, corresponding to the modern-day region of Basilicata. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and ...

. Initially a partisan of

Marcus Antonius Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the ...

, by whom he was chosen as

suffect consul The consuls were the highest elected public officials of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC). Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum''an ascending sequence of public offices to which politicians aspire ...

in 37 BC, he subsequently was sent by Antonius with a

fleet Fleet may refer to: Vehicles * Fishing fleet *Naval fleet * Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles * Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company Places Canada * Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet England * The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Be ...

to aid

Octavian Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

in his war against

Sextus Pompeius Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius ( 67 – 35 BC), also known in English as Sextus Pompey, was a Roman military leader who, throughout his life, upheld the cause of his father, Pompey the Great, against Julius Caesar and his supporters during the la ...

. After Pompey was driven from

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, Taurus crossed the sea to the

province of Africa Africa was a Roman province on the northern coast of the continent of Africa. It was established in 146 BC, following the Roman Republic's conquest of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisi ...

, which he secured without any difficulty and for which he was awarded a

triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

in 34 BC. He returned to Rome, where he began work on the city's first permanent amphitheatre. In 34 BC, he accompanied Octavian on campaign to

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

, and after Octavian's return to Rome, Taurus remained in command of the troops stationed there. When war with Marcus Antonius and

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

broke out, Taurus chose Octavian's side and in the

Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between Octavian's maritime fleet, led by Marcus Agrippa, and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, near the former R ...

, he was in command of Octavian's land force. Antony's land forces surrendered to him rather than fight him. This greatly accelerated the victory of Caesar Octavian. After the death of Antonius, Taurus was sent in 29 BC to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

where he defeated the Cantabrians,

Vaccaei The Vaccaei or Vaccei were a pre- Roman Celtic people of Spain, who inhabited the sedimentary plains of the central Duero valley, in the Meseta Central of northern Hispania (specifically in Castile and León). Origins Also designated Vaccaena ...

and

Astures The Astures or Asturs, also named Astyrs, were the Hispano-Celtic inhabitants of the northwest area of Hispania that now comprises almost the entire modern autonomous community of the Principality of Asturias, the modern province of León, and t ...

. He was later made '' consul ordinarius'' for the year 26 BC alongside Augustus, as Octavian was now known. In 16 BC, when Augustus left Italy for

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

, he left Taurus in Rome as ''

praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, an ...

''. Until the second consulship of

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

in 7 BC, Statilius Taurus was the last man to hold multiple consulships. It appears Augustus was experimenting with a "share the honors" program before he consolidated enough power to rule as the unofficial emperor. Statilius Taurus' amphitheatre was completed in 29 BC, opening with a number of gladiatorial contests. These were received with so much acclaim that the people's assembly accorded Taurus the right to name a praetor every year. Taurus is said to have maintained a private bodyguard of German slaves in Rome. Taurus seems to had three sons and possibly two daughters, though it is uncertain whether all these children were by the same woman. The eldest son, also named Titus Statilius Taurus (II), was a ''monetalis'', but did not reach consular years. A second son, also named Titus Statilius Taurus (III), was consul in 11 AD. A third son was named

Sisenna Statilius Taurus Sisenna Statilius Taurus was a Roman senator. He was consul for the year AD 16 with Lucius Scribonius Libo as his colleague. Most of our information about Sisenna comes from inscriptions. Sisenna was the grandson of Titus Statilius Taurus, consul ...

consul in 16 AD. It seems certain that Taurus had at least one daughter, Statilia L. Pisonis, who married

Lucius Calpurnius Piso the Augur Lucius Calpurnius Piso (also known to contemporaries as Lucius Calpurnius Piso the Augur) (died AD 24) was a Roman senator who was appointed consul in 1 BC as the colleague of Cossus Cornelius Lentulus Gaetulicus. He was also an augur. Life and ...

(consul in 1 BC). A second may be the Statilia who died at the age of 99 in the reign of

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

, although she may have been a sister to this Taurus.

Titus Statilius Taurus (II)

Titus Statilius Taurus (II) was the eldest son of Titus Statilius Taurus (I), possibly by Cornelia Sisenna or an unknown woman.Stern, Gaius (Nov. 2008), "T. Statilus Taurus, Augustus' Left-hand Man," CAMWS-SS 15. Stern suggests that the wife of Statilius Taurus was a Cornelia Sisenna, based on the name of their son. He was either the full-brother or half-brother of Titus Statilius Taurus (III), Sisenna Statilius Taurus, Statilia L. Pisonis and possibly Statilia. All that is known of this Taurus is that he was a ''monetalis'' and died before reaching consular age.

Titus Statilius Taurus (III)

Titus Statilius Taurus (III) was consul in 11 AD. He was the second son of Titus Statilius Taurus (I) perhaps by Cornelia Sisenna. He may have been the full-brother or half-brother of Titus Statilius Taurus (II) and possibly Statilia, and was probably the full-brother Sisenna Statilius Taurus and Statilia L. Pisonis. This Taurus married Valeria, daughter of the senator

Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus (64 BC – AD 8 or c. 12) was a Roman general, author, and patron of literature and art. Family Corvinus was the son of a consul in 61 BC, Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger,Syme, R., ''Augustan Aristocracy'', p. ...

, and fathered three children by her: two consular sons, Titus Statilius Taurus (IV) and

Titus Statilius Taurus Corvinus Titus Statilius Taurus Corvinus was a member of the Titus Statilius Taurus family of Roman Senators which went back to Titus Statilius Taurus, the general of emperor Augustus. Corvinus was consul in 45 AD during the reign of the Emperor Claudius ...

, and a daughter, Statilia Messallina, who was the mother to the Empress

Statilia Messalina Statilia Messalina (c. AD 35 – after 68) was a Roman patrician woman, a Roman Empress and third wife to Roman Emperor Nero. Biography Background The ancient sources say little of her family; however, Suetonius states that she was a great-grea ...

Titus Statilius Taurus (IV)

Titus Statilius Taurus (IV) was the eldest son of Titus Statilius Taurus (III) by Valeria, daughter of

. He was brother to

(consul 45 AD). This Taurus served as consul in 44 AD and later,

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a Roman consul, consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military ...

of Africa from 51 to 53 AD. A wealthy man, he laid out the celebrated Taurian Gardens. He was accused by Tarquitius Priscus, a former subordinate during his tenure as Proconsul of Africa, of "a few acts of extortion, but particularly ... fmagical and superstitious practices"Tacitus, ''Annals'' XII.59.1 at the direction of

Julia Agrippina Julia Agrippina (6 November AD 15 – 23 March AD 59), also referred to as Agrippina the Younger, was Roman empress from AD 49 to 54, the fourth wife and niece of emperor Claudius, and the mother of Nero. Agrippina was one of the most prominent ...

, and despite his apparent innocence, he committed suicide as a result of these accusations.

References and citations

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; ; ; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who prospered during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius. He was born c. 95 in Alexandria. After holding the senior offices in the pr ...

, ''Bell. Civ.'' v. 5, 27, 97–99, 103, 109, 118 *

Dion Cassius Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

xlix. 14, 38, li. 20, liii. 23, liv. 9 *

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. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

, ''Annales'' vi. 11, xii.59 * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Statilius Taurus, Titus Ancient Roman generals Imperial Roman consuls 1st-century BC Roman consuls 1st-century Romans Urban prefects of Rome Taurus, Titus People of the War of Actium