Decimus Valerius Asiaticus (around 5 BCP.J. Sijpesteijn
"Another οὐσία of Decimus Valerius Asiaticus in Egypt"
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Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik The (commonly abbreviated ZPE; "Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy") is a peer-reviewed academic journal which contains articles that pertain to papyrology and epigraphy. It has been described as "the world's leading and certainly most prolific ...

'', 79 (1989), p. 19347 AD,Alston, ''Aspects of Roman History AD 14-117'', p. 92 ) was a prominent

Roman Senator The Roman Senate () was the highest and Roman constitution, constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the Rome, city of Rome (traditionally founded ...

Wiseman, ''Talking to Virgil: A Miscellany'', p.75 of provincial origin. Asiaticus was twice

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 ...

: first in 35 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 ...

with Aulus Gabinius Secundus as his colleague; second in 46 as ordinary consul with Marcus Junius Silanus as his colleague. He was the first man from Gaul to be admitted into the

Roman Senate 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 Sena ...

, as well as the first man from Gaul to attain the consulship.Ronald Syme, ''Tacitus'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1958), p. 590

Family background and early life

Information about his family is incomplete. Asiaticus was of Allobrogian origin; in the words of

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 Roma ...

, "of native dynastic stock." An ancestor of Asiaticus received

Roman citizenship Citizenship in ancient Rome () was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, traditions, and cu ...

from Gaius Valerius Flaccus who was the Governor of Transalpine

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 ...

in 80 BC and seems to have inherited Flaccus’ ''nomen''. The names of either of his parents are not known; Asiaticus had a brother, but his name is not known. Asiaticus was born in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Gallia Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in Occitania and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the first ...

. At a young age he may have been sent to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to make a career. He was a cultivated man, renowned for his athleticism and he became close to the

Julio-Claudian dynasty The Julio-Claudian dynasty comprised the first five Roman emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. This line of emperors ruled the Roman Empire, from its formation (under Augustus, in 27 BC) until the last of the line, Emper ...

. He regularly attended the house of

Antonia Minor Antonia Minor (31 January 36 BC – 1 May 37 AD) was the younger of two surviving daughters of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. She was a niece of the Emperor Augustus, sister-in-law of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal grandmother of ...

, the mother of

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

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 ...

and grandmother of the emperor

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

Political career

Many of the details of his career are not known, beyond the fact that Asiaticus was a close friend of the imperial house. He acceded to his first consulship during the reign 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 ...

, an office he could only have achieved with the acquiescence, if not the act, of the emperor. Tiberius' successor Caligula was also a friend to Asiaticus, and may have granted him estates in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Despite this, there were drawbacks in this relationship. Caligula confessed to committing adultery with Asiaticus' wife at a public drinking bout by complaining in front of Asiaticus about her performance in bed. Clearly offended and insulted, he developed a hatred of Caligula. Despite this, Asiaticus was invited to sit with Caligula on 24 January 41 at the theatre an hour prior to his assassination. When news of the deed swept through Rome and the identity of the slayers was not yet known, based on Caligula's insult to him, Asiaticus was accused of participating in Caligula's death; he replied, "I wish I had been the man." Nevertheless, some modern historians suspect Asiaticus was an accomplice in Caligula's murder. However, Michael Swan has pointed out several reasons not to suspect he was a party to the act, such as Asiaticus' own denial. One point Swan raises is that after Caligula's death, when Asiaticus offered his name to the Senate to succeed Caligula, his candidacy was opposed by one of the known participants in the assassination, Lucius Annius Vinicianus. Whether or not Asiaticus was involved in Caligula's death, contemporaries such as

Sosibius Sosibius (; floruit 221-204 BC) was the chief minister of Ptolemy IV Philopator (221–204 BC), king of Egypt. Nothing is known of his origin or parentage, though he may have been a son of Sosibius of Tarentum; nor is there any account of how he ...

suspected he was involved. This was doubtlessly the basis for Claudius' antipathy towards Asiaticus. Although Asiaticus accompanied Claudius in 43 on his campaign in Britain, it was arguably because Claudius mistrusted him and wanted Asiaticus where he could keep an eye on him. In a speech to the Senate, where Claudius defended the adlection of Gaulish men into the Senate, he obliquely disparaged Asiaticus, refusing to mention his name:

Purchase of the Gardens of Lucullus and downfall

Sometime after his second consulship, as Asiaticus was a well-connected man of immense wealth, he had used some of his fortune to acquire and to redevelop one of Rome's most magnificent private properties, the pleasure gardens of Lucius Licinius Lucullus, a famous general, politician and glutton of the 1st century BC. In 47, the notorious Senator Publius Suillius Rufus, brought capital charges against Asiaticus before the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. Among those charges was adultery with Poppaea Sabina the Elder, mother of the empress

Poppaea Sabina Poppaea Sabina (30 AD – 65 AD), also known as Ollia, was a Roman empress as the second wife of the emperor Nero. She had also been wife to the future emperor Otho. The historians of antiquity describe her as a beautiful woman who used intrig ...

. The charges brought against Asiaticus were the result of a convoluted sexual conspiracy plotted by Claudius’ third wife, the empress

Valeria Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation ...

, so she could seize Asiaticus’ gardens. Through the connivance of Messalina, Claudius condemned Asiaticus to death. Although Asiaticus enjoyed the public's favour, he could not easily be seen as a threat to Claudius or Messalina. Asiaticus went to his death calmly, making arrangements for his funeral. He committed suicide by opening his veins, but not till he had inspected his funeral pyre, and directed its removal to another spot, lest the smoke should hurt the thick foliage of the trees. Asiaticus was survived by his wife and his son.

Descendants

Some historians have concluded that Asiaticus married Lollia Saturnina, a woman surmised was the sister of

Lollia Paulina Lollia Paulina (sometimes written Paullina)emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

.Freisenbruch, ''The First Ladies of Rome: The Women Behind the Caesars'', p. 131 However, Bernard Kavanagh has argued not only that it is more likely that Saturnina was not Asiaticus' wife, but the wife of his son, but also that, as a consequence, Lollia Saturnina was likely the niece of Lollia Paulina. Regardless of the identity of his wife, an inscription found at Tibur provides information about the identity of his son, Decimus Valerius Asiaticus, and grandson, Marcus Lollius Paulinus Decimus Valerius Asiaticus Saturninus. It is possible that Asiaticus had other children.

Land, property and benefactions

Asiaticus invested the major part of his money in real property. According to inscriptional evidence, he owned properties in

, and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. We know he specifically owned estates in the Egyptian towns of Euhemeria and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Within three years of his death, Asiaticus' properties were confiscated by the state. In Vienna, Asiaticus and his brother financed construction designed to beautify the city. An inscription found in North Vienna marks the tomb of the ''Scaenici Asiaticiani'', a comedy troupe which owed its existence to a certain Asiaticus, perhaps Decimus Valerius Asiaticus or his father. According to another inscription, one of the freedmen of Asiaticus was known to have become a very wealthy man, and probably owned properties in

Lugdunum Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Colonia (Roman), Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon, France, Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but cont ...

References

Sources

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'' ( ...

, The Annals of Imperial Rome *

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is ''De vita Caesarum'', common ...

, The Twelve Caesars, Claudius *

Seneca the Younger Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger ( ; AD 65), usually known mononymously as Seneca, was a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, a statesman, a dramatist, and in one work, a satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature. Seneca ...

, ''De Constantia sapientis'' *T.P. Wiseman, ''Talking to Virgil: A Miscellany'', University of Exeter Press, 1992 *R. Alston, ''Aspects of Roman History AD 14-117'', Routledge, 2002 *A. Freisenbruch, ''The First Ladies of Rome: The Women Behind the Caesars'' (Google eBook), Random House, 2011
Decimus Valerius Asiaticus, Un Notable Gallo-Romain de Vienna au Ier Siecle Apres JC
(Internet Archive copy; original page unavailable) "Decimus Valerius Asiaticus: A notable Gallo-Roman from Vienna in the 1st century" (in French)
The Roman World: Gallia Narbonensis's Urbs of Vienna
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valerius Asiaticus, Decimus 1st-century BC Gallo-Roman people 1st-century Gallo-Roman people Imperial Roman consuls Ancient Roman politicians who died by suicide 0s BC births 47 deaths Year of birth uncertain Valerii Allobroges People from Gallia Narbonensis