Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio
Encyclopedia
Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio (c. 183 BC – 132 BC Pergamum, Asia Minor
), the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum
and his wife Cornelia Africana Major
, was a member of the gens Cornelia and a politician
of the ancient Roman Republic
. He was consul
in 138 BC.
He was also a member of the gens Cornelia, a family of patrician descent. Notable figures from his family line include Scipio Africanus
, the first conqueror of Carthage and Scipio Aemilianus, the third conqueror of Carthage and main opponent of Tiberius Gracchus
.
His accomplishments are sparsely recorded or discussed in the scholarly world, though he still played an integral role in the overthrow of Tiberius Gracchus as well as held many important offices within the Cursus honorum
.
Scipio Nasica Serapio, third generation to bear the agnomen 'Nasica" (pointed noise). He succeeded his father as Pontifex Maximus
in 141 BC, possibly because of his illustrious family name and his father's great reputation.
and his wife Cornelia Africana Major
. Scipio Nasica was born in 183 BC.
It is likely that his branch of the gens Scipio had drifted away from the majority of the family, on account of politically opposing views towards the Third Punic War. Corculum was opposed to the invasion of Carthage, where Scipio Aemilianus actually led the siege of Carthage.
. Some debate would classify a more likely candidate for the terrible “Pannonians” to be actually from the region of Illyria
, just South of Pannonia
proper.
In the same year, Scipio Nasica would be awarded the title of Pontifex Maximus, inheriting it from his father who died in the same year. In 138 BCE, Nasica would be elected to the office of Consul, part of a series of “strong men” to rectify the recent bouts of unrest and defeats abroad. During his consulship, Scipio Nasica would attempt to avenge his own defeat as praetor; in doing so, he attempted to raise harsh levies on the Romans. Discontent with his demands, opposition would rise against him under the leadership of probably Nasica’s greatest political rival, the tribune Curiatius
. Curiatius had Nasica arrested on the grounds of withholding the legal privileges of the tribunes against the levy. While in custody, Nasica was given the name “Serapio” as an insult, referring to the shape of his nose.
Scipio Nasica’s next major political involvement would be his involvement in the murder of Tiberius Gracchus. Gracchus rose to office at a time when the Roman republic was bloated with the effects of extensive expansion abroad; a huge influx of slave labor and foreign wealth, a change in the function of agriculture and devaluation in the crop market were causing a massive domestic crisis, challenging the fundamental values of Roman culture (there is a debate over whether it was a grain crisis or a manpower crisis). Tiberius Gracchus
had taken the office of tribune and was passing laws of reform to help rectify this domestic crisis, though his legislation was empowering the plebs of Roman society. Feeling threatened, the patrician favoring majority of the senate aligned with Scipio Nasica and his cousin Scipio Aemilianus, who would lead the opposition against Gracchus. Nasica would be the one responsible for gathering senators to assassinate Gracchus during elections in 133 BCE. Scipio Nasica had gathered the senators to Gracchus’ bloody death claiming that the tribune
desired to become king of Rome. To commit the assassination Scipio Nasica covered his head with the hood of his pontifex maximus robe which possibly denoted the killing as a ritualized sacrifice for the good of Rome. After his assassination, Scipio would lead a witch hunt to eradicate any surviving members of Gracchus’ supporters. Those supporters would demand that Scipio be held responsible for murder, though modern scholars believe that the majority of the senate supported both of the Scipio men in the controversy.
on a mission. This was unusual as a Pontifex Maximus
would never normally be sent away from Rome. He would later die there in Pergamon, allegedly at the hands of some of Gracchus’ supporters.
Scipio Nasica Serapio was succeeded by his son who would become consul in 111 BCE.
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
), the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum
Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum
Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum was a Roman statesman and member of the gens Cornelia.Corculum was the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica , and was thus a first cousin once removed of the Roman general Scipio Africanus...
and his wife Cornelia Africana Major
Cornelia Africana Major
Cornelia Africana Major was the first daughter of Aemilia Tertia and Scipio Africanus.Scipio Nasica Corculum was her husband and second cousin. She had a single child. Judging by the year her son, Scipio Nasica Serapio, became consul in 138 BCE she probably married around 184-183 BCE.Cornelia...
, was a member of the gens Cornelia and a politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
of the ancient Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. He was consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 138 BC.
He was also a member of the gens Cornelia, a family of patrician descent. Notable figures from his family line include Scipio Africanus
Scipio Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
, the first conqueror of Carthage and Scipio Aemilianus, the third conqueror of Carthage and main 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...
.
His accomplishments are sparsely recorded or discussed in the scholarly world, though he still played an integral role in the overthrow of Tiberius Gracchus as well as held many important offices within the Cursus honorum
Cursus honorum
The cursus honorum was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The cursus honorum comprised a mixture of military and political administration posts. Each office had a minimum...
.
Scipio Nasica Serapio, third generation to bear the agnomen 'Nasica" (pointed noise). He succeeded his father as Pontifex Maximus
Pontifex Maximus
The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post...
in 141 BC, possibly because of his illustrious family name and his father's great reputation.
Early life
Not much is known about the early life of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio. He is the child of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica CorculumPublius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum
Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum was a Roman statesman and member of the gens Cornelia.Corculum was the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica , and was thus a first cousin once removed of the Roman general Scipio Africanus...
and his wife Cornelia Africana Major
Cornelia Africana Major
Cornelia Africana Major was the first daughter of Aemilia Tertia and Scipio Africanus.Scipio Nasica Corculum was her husband and second cousin. She had a single child. Judging by the year her son, Scipio Nasica Serapio, became consul in 138 BCE she probably married around 184-183 BCE.Cornelia...
. Scipio Nasica was born in 183 BC.
It is likely that his branch of the gens Scipio had drifted away from the majority of the family, on account of politically opposing views towards the Third Punic War. Corculum was opposed to the invasion of Carthage, where Scipio Aemilianus actually led the siege of Carthage.
Political career
One important reference to Scipio Nasica’s participation in politics is as a mysterious “Cornelius” by the historian Appian. This “Cornelius” is credited with a great Roman defeat at the hands of the widely feared “Pannonians.” After some deduction, one can identify the leader of the Roman forces to be Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio, who in 141 BCE was the praetor of MacedoniaMacedonia (Roman province)
The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon, the last Ancient King of Macedon in 148 BC, and after the four client republics established by Rome in the region were dissolved...
. Some debate would classify a more likely candidate for the terrible “Pannonians” to be actually from the region of Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
, just South of Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
proper.
In the same year, Scipio Nasica would be awarded the title of Pontifex Maximus, inheriting it from his father who died in the same year. In 138 BCE, Nasica would be elected to the office of Consul, part of a series of “strong men” to rectify the recent bouts of unrest and defeats abroad. During his consulship, Scipio Nasica would attempt to avenge his own defeat as praetor; in doing so, he attempted to raise harsh levies on the Romans. Discontent with his demands, opposition would rise against him under the leadership of probably Nasica’s greatest political rival, the tribune Curiatius
Curiatius
Curiatius is the name of a patrician gens of Ancient Rome.The Curiatii were originally from Alba Longa .In the legendary war between Alba Longa and Rome in the 7th century BC a set of triplets of the Curiatii battled with three triplets from Rome, the Horatii, to decide which state would have...
. Curiatius had Nasica arrested on the grounds of withholding the legal privileges of the tribunes against the levy. While in custody, Nasica was given the name “Serapio” as an insult, referring to the shape of his nose.
Scipio Nasica’s next major political involvement would be his involvement in the murder of Tiberius Gracchus. Gracchus rose to office at a time when the Roman republic was bloated with the effects of extensive expansion abroad; a huge influx of slave labor and foreign wealth, a change in the function of agriculture and devaluation in the crop market were causing a massive domestic crisis, challenging the fundamental values of Roman culture (there is a debate over whether it was a grain crisis or a manpower crisis). 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...
had taken the office of tribune and was passing laws of reform to help rectify this domestic crisis, though his legislation was empowering the plebs of Roman society. Feeling threatened, the patrician favoring majority of the senate aligned with Scipio Nasica and his cousin Scipio Aemilianus, who would lead the opposition against Gracchus. Nasica would be the one responsible for gathering senators to assassinate Gracchus during elections in 133 BCE. Scipio Nasica had gathered the senators to Gracchus’ bloody death claiming that the 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...
desired to become king of Rome. To commit the assassination Scipio Nasica covered his head with the hood of his pontifex maximus robe which possibly denoted the killing as a ritualized sacrifice for the good of Rome. After his assassination, Scipio would lead a witch hunt to eradicate any surviving members of Gracchus’ supporters. Those supporters would demand that Scipio be held responsible for murder, though modern scholars believe that the majority of the senate supported both of the Scipio men in the controversy.
Death
Eventually the prolonged conflict between political parties would catch up to Nasica, and the senate would send him away to PergamonPergamon
Pergamon , or Pergamum, was an ancient Greek city in modern-day Turkey, in Mysia, today located from the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north side of the river Caicus , that became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon during the Hellenistic period, under the Attalid dynasty, 281–133 BC...
on a mission. This was unusual as a Pontifex Maximus
Pontifex Maximus
The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post...
would never normally be sent away from Rome. He would later die there in Pergamon, allegedly at the hands of some of Gracchus’ supporters.
Scipio Nasica Serapio was succeeded by his son who would become consul in 111 BCE.
Further reading
- Manuel Dejante Pinto de Magalhães Arnao Metello and João Carlos Metello de Nápoles, "Metellos de Portugal, Brasil e Roma", Torres Novas, 1998