Tiberius Claudius Verus
Encyclopedia
Tiberius Claudius Verus was a local politician in Pompeii
. He held the magistracy
of duovir in 62 AD, when an earthquake devastated the city on February 5.
Claudius Verus lived near or along the Via di Nola. For the purposes of historical and archaeological study, Pompeii is divided into nine regions, each of which contains numbered blocks (insulae); Verus lived on the block designated IX.8, IX.9, V.3 or V.4, as indicated by several inscriptions that preserve campaign advertising
displayed by neighbors who supported his candidacy. One of his neighbors recommended him as an "upright young man." Several interrelated inscriptions show that Verus was part of a group of men who supported each other's political careers. None comes from an "old" Pompeiian family, and each has a gens
name that is well attested at Rome
and either Puteoli or Delos
. They are associated with some of the largest houses in Pompeii, and their wealth suggests commercial interests. It is possible that Verus and his faction were imperial freedmen.
Verus's praenomen
and cognomen
indicate that the Tiberii Claudii
would have been his traditional patrons
. Just before the earthquake, Verus had been organizing games (ludi
) in honor of Nero
, to be held February 25 and 26. Among the planned festivities were a hunt (venatio
), athletic games, and either "sprinklings of scented water to refresh the crowd" or distributions of money (sesterces): the inscription has been read both ways. No gladiator
s were advertised; gladiatorial contests had been banned in Pompeii in 59 AD, following a riot in the amphitheatre. Although the earthquake most likely caused the cancellation of the games, they may have been presented in some form for the sake of restoring morale.
In the early decades following the discovery of the luxurious House of the Centenary
in 1879, August Mau
proposed that Verus had been its owner. It has also been argued that the Centenary's owner was Aulus Rustius Verus, with Claudius Verus living in an otherwise unidentified house at V.3. No scholarly consensus exists on Claudius Verus's address.
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
. He held the magistracy
Roman Magistrates
The Roman Magistrates were elected officials in Ancient Rome. During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the King of Rome was the principal executive magistrate. His power, in practice, was absolute. He was the chief priest, lawgiver, judge, and the sole commander of the army...
of duovir in 62 AD, when an earthquake devastated the city on February 5.
Claudius Verus lived near or along the Via di Nola. For the purposes of historical and archaeological study, Pompeii is divided into nine regions, each of which contains numbered blocks (insulae); Verus lived on the block designated IX.8, IX.9, V.3 or V.4, as indicated by several inscriptions that preserve campaign advertising
Campaign advertising
'In politics, campaign advertising is the use of an advertising campaign through newspapers, radio commercials, television commercials, etc.) to influence the decisions made for and by groups. These ads are designed by political consultants and the political campaign staff...
displayed by neighbors who supported his candidacy. One of his neighbors recommended him as an "upright young man." Several interrelated inscriptions show that Verus was part of a group of men who supported each other's political careers. None comes from an "old" Pompeiian family, and each has a 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...
name that is well attested at Rome
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....
and either Puteoli or Delos
Delos
The island of Delos , isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece...
. They are associated with some of the largest houses in Pompeii, and their wealth suggests commercial interests. It is possible that Verus and his faction were imperial freedmen.
Verus's praenomen
Praenomen
The praenomen was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the dies lustricus , the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the birth of a boy...
and cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
indicate that the Tiberii Claudii
Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty normally refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula , Claudius, and Nero, or the family to which they belonged; they ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line,...
would have been his traditional patrons
Patronage in ancient Rome
Patronage was the distinctive relationship in ancient Roman society between the patronus and his client . The relationship was hierarchical, but obligations were mutual. The patronus was the protector, sponsor, and benefactor of the client...
. Just before the earthquake, Verus had been organizing games (ludi
Ludi
Ludi were public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman people . Ludi were held in conjunction with, or sometimes as the major feature of, Roman religious festivals, and were also presented as part of the cult of state.The earliest ludi were horse races in the circus...
) in honor of Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, to be held February 25 and 26. Among the planned festivities were a hunt (venatio
Venatio
Venatio was a form of entertainment in Roman amphitheaters involving the hunting and slaying of wild animals. Exotic wild beasts from the far reaches of the Roman Empire were brought to Rome and hunts were held in the morning prior to the afternoon main event of gladiatorial duels...
), athletic games, and either "sprinklings of scented water to refresh the crowd" or distributions of money (sesterces): the inscription has been read both ways. No gladiator
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
s were advertised; gladiatorial contests had been banned in Pompeii in 59 AD, following a riot in the amphitheatre. Although the earthquake most likely caused the cancellation of the games, they may have been presented in some form for the sake of restoring morale.
In the early decades following the discovery of the luxurious House of the Centenary
House of the Centenary
The House of the Centenary was the house of a wealthy resident of Pompeii, preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The house was discovered in 1879, and was given its modern name to mark the 18th centenary of the disaster...
in 1879, August Mau
August Mau
August Mau was a prominent German art historian and archaeologist who worked with the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut while studying and classifying the Roman paintings at Pompeii, which was destroyed with the town of Herculaneum by volcanic eruption in 79 AD...
proposed that Verus had been its owner. It has also been argued that the Centenary's owner was Aulus Rustius Verus, with Claudius Verus living in an otherwise unidentified house at V.3. No scholarly consensus exists on Claudius Verus's address.