Gaius Calpurnius Acilius Aviola was a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

of the Roman Empire. He was ''

suffect consul A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...

'' in AD 24 with Publius Cornelius Lentulus Scipio as his colleague. Aviola is also recorded as being governor of Asia in 37/38. Aviola has been identified as the father of

Manius Acilius Aviola Manius Acilius Aviola was a Roman senator who served as Consul ordinarius in 239 as the colleague of Emperor Gordian III. He is considered a son of the Manius Acilius Aviola who is mentioned as being present as a child at the meetings of the Arval ...

, consul in 54. Based on Aviola's name, Ronald Syme argues that he was "presumably an Acilius Aviola adopted by a C. Calpurnius Piso"; Olli Salomies disagrees, believing the adoptive parent was a "C. Calpurnius without a cognomen (e.g. a son of C. Calpurnius, curule and plebeian aedile in 23 BC)". Yet both identify this man as the praetorian legate or governor of Gallia Lugdunensis in AD 21, who suppressed a revolt by the Andecavi in Gaul. Syme notes that "praetorian governorships tend to proceed to the consulate", yet this Acilius Aviola vanishes from history soon after; unless he had died prematurely after his governorship, it would make sense that upon being adopted by a Gaius Calpurnius Piso he changed his name and continued his career under it. If they are identical, then Aviola is the subject of a tale recorded by Pliny the Elder and Valerius Maximus. Assumed to be dead, his body was set on top of a funeral pyre, which was then lit. Whereupon he is said to have come to life again, but due to the intensity of the flames, Aviola could not be rescued, and burned to death. This must have occurred prior to the death of Tiberius in AD 37, since Valerius Maximus published his work during that emperor's reign.Pliny, vii. 52. 53; Valerius Maximus, i. 8. § 12.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calpurnius Aviola, Gaius Senators of the Roman Empire Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Asia Roman governors of Gallia Lugdunensis 1st-century Romans Aviola, Gaius Calpurnius Aviola, Gaius Calpurnius Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Deaths from fire