Cossus Cornelius Lentulus was a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
senator who flourished during the
Principate
The Principate is the name sometimes given to the first period of the Roman Empire from the beginning of the reign of Augustus in 27 BC to the end of the Crisis of the Third Century in AD 284, after which it evolved into the so-called Dominate.
...
. He was the
consul posterior as the colleague of the emperor
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
in AD 60.
Lentulus belonged to a branch of the
Cornelii
The gens Cornelia was one of the greatest patrician houses at ancient Rome. For more than seven hundred years, from the early decades of the Republic to the third century AD, the Cornelii produced more eminent statesmen and generals than any othe ...
that had suffered under Nero's predecessors, and "might be expected to harbor resentment against the dynasty". His uncle
Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Gaetulicus, consul 26, had been executed for his role in a failed attempt to overthrow
Caligula
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...
. Although his cousin
Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Gaetulicus was suffect consul in 55, Lentulus was the first member of his family in over 30 years to be ordinary consul, an even higher honor. Judith Ginsburg argues his appointment as Nero's colleague was part of a policy to conciliate favor with hostile factions of the Senate, especially members of
patrician
Patrician may refer to:
* Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage
* Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...
families.
[Ginsburg, "Nero's Consular Policy", ''American Journal of ancient History'', 6 (1981), pp. 51-68]
References
1st-century Romans
Cossus (consul 813 AUC)
Cornelius Lentulus, Cossus (813 AUC)
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