Decimus Valerius Asiaticus
Encyclopedia
Decimus Valerius Asiaticus (?-47) was the husband of Lollia Saturnina, the sister of Caligula
' third wife, Lollia Paulina
, was twice a Roman
consul
(35 and 46 AD), resigning early from his second suffect consulship, according to Dio Cassius
(60.27]), in order to avoid becoming involved in the conspiracies of the court—a fruitless effort, as it would prove. Of Allobrogian Gallic origin, Asiaticus was the first Narbonian Gaul
to be admitted to the Senate
. His rise to the top in politics may have stemmed from his powerful friends with Gallic connections, including Claudius'
mother Antonia
(Tacitus, Annales 11.2), who had given birth to Claudius in Lugdunum
—today's Lyons
, Gaul
(Suetonius
, The Deified Claudius [1.6]). A longtime friend of the Emperor Claudius
(Ann. 11.3), Asiaticus had a brilliant consular career, amassing so much wealth that he acquired the luxurious villa and vast park like gardens in Rome
, which had been created, ca. 60 BC, by the sybaritic consular, L. Licinius Lucullus
.
In 47 AD, the notorious professional informer, P. Suillius Rufus, brought capital charges against Asiaticus before the Senate. Among these was adultery with Poppaea Sabina the Elder (Ann. 11.2), the mother of Poppaea Sabina
the Younger, the beauteous aristocrat of the same name, who was to become the second wife of the Emperor Nero (e.g., Ann. 13.45; 14.61-63)--the others being Claudia Octavia
(Ann. 14.61-64) and Statilia Messalina
(Ann. 15.63.). According to Tacitean innuendo (in the fragmentary beginning of book XI of the Annales
), Asiaticus was brought down as part of a plot by the emperor's third wife, Valeria Messalina, who supposedly wanted to get her hands on the consul's lavish parklands. Although the Emperor Claudius was inclined to acquit him, Asiaticus, according to Tacitus, maintained that he had been both grievously insulted and a victim of womanish deceit (fraude muliebre); then in a final act, befitting his illustrious predecessor, Lucullus, Asiaticus ordered that his funeral pyre be moved so that its flames would not damage the leaves of his beloved trees; he subsequently opened his veins (Ann. 11.3). Tacitus creates a sort of tragic poetic justice by portraying Claudius' wife, Messalina, as being murdered in Asiaticus' gardens, where she has retreated, rather like a creature of the garden, in a conveyance that he describes as a garbage truck [vehiculo, quo purgamenta hortorum excipiuntur] (Ann. 11.32; 11.37.38).
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
' third wife, Lollia Paulina
Lollia Paulina
Lollia Paulina was a noble Roman woman who lived in the 1st century, and for six months in AD 38 was a Roman Empress as the third wife of the Emperor Caligula.-Life:...
, was twice a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
(35 and 46 AD), resigning early from his second suffect consulship, according to Dio Cassius
Dio Cassius
Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus , known in English as Cassius Dio, Dio Cassius, or Dio was a Roman consul and a noted historian writing in Greek...
(60.27]), in order to avoid becoming involved in the conspiracies of the court—a fruitless effort, as it would prove. Of Allobrogian Gallic origin, Asiaticus was the first Narbonian Gaul
Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. It was also known as Gallia Transalpina , which was originally a designation for that part of Gaul lying across the Alps from Italia and it contained a western region known as Septimania...
to be admitted to the Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
. His rise to the top in politics may have stemmed from his powerful friends with Gallic connections, including Claudius'
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
mother Antonia
Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor , also known as Antonia the Younger or simply Antonia was the younger of two daughters of Roman politician Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. Tacitus Ann. 4.44.2 and 12.54.2 may have confused the two Antonia sisters...
(Tacitus, Annales 11.2), who had given birth to Claudius in Lugdunum
Lugdunum
Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum was an important Roman city in Gaul. The city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus. It served as the capital of the Roman province Gallia Lugdunensis. To 300 years after its foundation Lugdunum was the most important city to the west part of Roman...
—today's Lyons
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
(Suetonius
Suetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, The Deified Claudius [1.6]). A longtime friend of the Emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
(Ann. 11.3), Asiaticus had a brilliant consular career, amassing so much wealth that he acquired the luxurious villa and vast park like gardens in Rome
Gardens of Lucullus
The Gardens of Lucullus were the setting for an ancient patrician villa on the Pincian Hill on the edge of Rome; they were laid out by Lucius Licinius Lucullus about 60 BCE...
, which had been created, ca. 60 BC, by the sybaritic consular, L. Licinius Lucullus
Lucullus
Lucius Licinius Lucullus , was an optimate politician of the late Roman Republic, closely connected with Sulla Felix...
.
In 47 AD, the notorious professional informer, P. Suillius Rufus, brought capital charges against Asiaticus before the Senate. Among these was adultery with Poppaea Sabina the Elder (Ann. 11.2), the mother of Poppaea Sabina
Poppaea Sabina
Poppaea Sabina and sometimes referred to as Poppaea Sabina the Younger to differentiate her from her mother of the same name, was a Roman Empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. Prior to this she was the wife of the future Emperor Otho...
the Younger, the beauteous aristocrat of the same name, who was to become the second wife of the Emperor Nero (e.g., Ann. 13.45; 14.61-63)--the others being Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia was an Empress of Rome. She was a great-niece of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal first cousin of the Emperor Caligula, daughter of the Emperor Claudius, and stepsister and first wife of the Emperor Nero...
(Ann. 14.61-64) and Statilia Messalina
Statilia Messalina
Statilia Messalina was a Roman patrician woman, a Roman Empress and third wife to Roman Emperor Nero.The ancient sources say little of her family; however, Suetonius states that she was a great-great-granddaughter of Titus Statilius Taurus, a Roman General who won a triumph and was twice consul...
(Ann. 15.63.). According to Tacitean innuendo (in the fragmentary beginning of book XI of the Annales
Annales
Annals or annales are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year.-List of Annales:*Annales , an epic poem by Quintus Ennius covering Roman history from the fall of Troy down to the censorship of Cato the Elder* Annals Ab excessu divi Augusti "Following...
), Asiaticus was brought down as part of a plot by the emperor's third wife, Valeria Messalina, who supposedly wanted to get her hands on the consul's lavish parklands. Although the Emperor Claudius was inclined to acquit him, Asiaticus, according to Tacitus, maintained that he had been both grievously insulted and a victim of womanish deceit (fraude muliebre); then in a final act, befitting his illustrious predecessor, Lucullus, Asiaticus ordered that his funeral pyre be moved so that its flames would not damage the leaves of his beloved trees; he subsequently opened his veins (Ann. 11.3). Tacitus creates a sort of tragic poetic justice by portraying Claudius' wife, Messalina, as being murdered in Asiaticus' gardens, where she has retreated, rather like a creature of the garden, in a conveyance that he describes as a garbage truck [vehiculo, quo purgamenta hortorum excipiuntur] (Ann. 11.32; 11.37.38).