Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi (consul 133 BC)
Encyclopedia
Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi (sometimes Censorinus) was a Roman consul
in 133 BC
, historian and representative of older Roman annalists
. He was of plebeian origin.
In 149 BC
he held the office of tribune
. During his tribunate he proposed the first law for the punishment of extortion in the provinces, Lex Calpurnia de Repetundis. In 139 BC
praetor
, in 133 BC he was elected consul with Publius Mucius Scaevola
when he achieved victory over slaves in Italy, but did not subdue them. Probably in 120 BC
he was elected censor, therefore some ancient writers called him Censorinus. He was opponent of Tiberius Gracchus
.
He was author of the Annales, seven books about history of the Rome beginning by its establishment up to Piso's times. However, according to Livy
, he is considered less reliable author than Fabius Pictor, because Piso tended to moralize, idealize history and succumb to tendentiousness. German historian Barthold Georg Niebuhr
asserted that Piso was the first Roman historian to introduce systematic forgeries. Only fragments of his works have been preserved, from which we can deduce the simple style of his writing.
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...
in 133 BC
133 BC
Year 133 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scaevola and Frugi...
, historian and representative of older Roman annalists
Annalists
Annalists , is the name given to a class of writers on Roman history, the period of whose literary activity lasted from the time of the Second Punic War to that of Sulla...
. He was of plebeian origin.
In 149 BC
149 BC
Year 149 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Censorinus and Manilius...
he held the office of tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
. During his tribunate he proposed the first law for the punishment of extortion in the provinces, Lex Calpurnia de Repetundis. In 139 BC
139 BC
Year 139 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Piso and Laenas...
praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
, in 133 BC he was elected consul with Publius Mucius Scaevola
Publius Mucius Scaevola
Publius Mucius Scaevola was a prominent Roman politician and jurist. He was tribune in 141 BC, praetor in 136 BC, and consul in 133 BC....
when he achieved victory over slaves in Italy, but did not subdue them. Probably in 120 BC
120 BC
Year 120 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Manilius and Carbo...
he was elected censor, therefore some ancient writers called him Censorinus. He was opponent of Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populares politician of the 2nd century BC and brother of Gaius Gracchus. As a plebeian tribune, his reforms of agrarian legislation caused political turmoil in the Republic. These reforms threatened the holdings of rich landowners in Italy...
.
He was author of the Annales, seven books about history of the Rome beginning by its establishment up to Piso's times. However, according to Livy
Livy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
, he is considered less reliable author than Fabius Pictor, because Piso tended to moralize, idealize history and succumb to tendentiousness. German historian Barthold Georg Niebuhr
Barthold Georg Niebuhr
Barthold Georg Niebuhr was a Danish-German statesman and historian who became Germany's leading historian of Ancient Rome and a founding father of modern scholarly historiography. Classical Rome caught the admiration of German thinkers...
asserted that Piso was the first Roman historian to introduce systematic forgeries. Only fragments of his works have been preserved, from which we can deduce the simple style of his writing.