Marcus Scribonius Libo
Encyclopedia
Marcus Scribonius Libo Drusus († September 13, 16) was a younger son of the consul Lucius Scribonius Libo
by his wife who was a member of the gens
Sulpicius, the family that the Roman Emperor
Galba
, had descended from his paternal side. Marcus was a fatuous man, who had tastes for absurdities.
Along with his brother Lucius Scribonius Libo
, he was accused of subversive plotting. The two men were tried in a senatorial court by Roman Emperor
Tiberius
. At the trial, Marcus was ill and pleaded for mercy. A maternal relative defended them and appealed to the Emperor. Tiberius told him to apply to the senate.
His aunt, Scribonia
(second wife of Roman Emperor Augustus
), tried to convince Marcus to face trial rather than commit suicide. However, Marcus stabbed himself twice in the stomach to death on September 13, 16. The Roman Senate
agreed to divide his property among accusers. Furthermore, his statue and funeral masks were removed from descendants' funeral-parades and members of the gens ‘Scribonius’ were forbidden to bear the name ‘Drusus’. His supporters were executed, and the day of his death was declared a public holiday.
Lucius Scribonius Libo
Several men of plebeian status were named Lucius Scribonius Libo during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire; they were members of the gens Scribonia.-L. Scribonius Libo :...
by his wife who was a member of the gens
Gens
In ancient Rome, a gens , plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a stirps . The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italy during the...
Sulpicius, the family that the Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Galba
Galba
Galba , was Roman Emperor for seven months from 68 to 69. Galba was the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, and made a bid for the throne during the rebellion of Julius Vindex...
, had descended from his paternal side. Marcus was a fatuous man, who had tastes for absurdities.
Along with his brother Lucius Scribonius Libo
Lucius Scribonius Libo
Several men of plebeian status were named Lucius Scribonius Libo during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire; they were members of the gens Scribonia.-L. Scribonius Libo :...
, he was accused of subversive plotting. The two men were tried in a senatorial court by Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
. At the trial, Marcus was ill and pleaded for mercy. A maternal relative defended them and appealed to the Emperor. Tiberius told him to apply to the senate.
His aunt, Scribonia
Scribonia
Scribonia was the second wife of the Roman Emperor Augustus and the mother of his only natural child, Julia the Elder. She was the mother-in-law of the Emperor Tiberius, great-grandmother of the Emperor Caligula and Empress Agrippina the Younger, grandmother-in-law of the Emperor Claudius, and...
(second wife of Roman Emperor Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
), tried to convince Marcus to face trial rather than commit suicide. However, Marcus stabbed himself twice in the stomach to death on September 13, 16. The Roman 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...
agreed to divide his property among accusers. Furthermore, his statue and funeral masks were removed from descendants' funeral-parades and members of the gens ‘Scribonius’ were forbidden to bear the name ‘Drusus’. His supporters were executed, and the day of his death was declared a public holiday.
Source
- TacitusTacitusPublius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
- The Annals of Imperial Rome - Chapter 4 - The First Treason Trials