Gaius Stertinius Xenophon (c. 10 BC54 AD), often referred to in ancient literature as simply Xenophon, was a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

who served the Roman Emperor,

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

, the fourth member of the

Julio-Claudian dynasty , native_name_lang=Latin, coat of arms=Great_Cameo_of_France-removebg.png, image_size=260px, caption= The Great Cameo of France depicting emperors Augustus, Tiberius, Claudius and Nero, type= Ancient Roman dynasty, country= Roman Empire, estates=* ...

. Xenophon is primarily remembered for his suspected involvement and collaboration in the murder of Claudius by poison. Xenophon was born on the island of Kos, where he trained as a physician before voyaging to Rome. Once there, he began to practice medicine, and as his reputation as a physician grew, Xenophon became very wealthy. He lived well, owning a manor situated on the

Caelian Hill The Caelian Hill (; la, Collis Caelius; it, Celio ) is one of the famous seven hills of Rome. Geography The Caelian Hill is a sort of long promontory about long, to wide, and tall in the park near the Temple of Claudius. The hill over ...

. Later, Xenophon spent time serving in the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

, and it was through this participation in the armed forces that Claudius first became aware of Xenophon's renown as a physician. As a result, Xenophon become Claudius' personal physician. Xenophon died in 54 AD. How Xenophon died is unknown; whether it was coincidence that he died in the same year as Claudius' death, or whether his death was related to the incident, is not documented.

Poisoning of Claudius

Xenophon remains a suspect in the alleged poisoning of Claudius on 12–13 October (the date is disputed), as he was one of the few people who spent a large part of the day in close contact with the emperor. In addition, he attended the banquet at which Claudius is thought to have consumed the poison and, according to several sources, he took Claudius to his chamber after the emperor had passed out. If Xenophon was involved, what he actually did to the ailing Claudius in his bedroom remains a source of debate. Those who claim that the poison was not immediately fatal suggest that Xenophon used a poisoned feather or poisoned

gruel Gruel is a food consisting of some type of cereal—such as ground oats, wheat, rye, or rice—heated or boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk rather than eaten. Historically, gruel has been a ...

, pretending to force Claudius to regurgitate his stomach contents, but in reality completing the murder.Tacitus ''Annals'' 12, 67

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stertinius Xenophon, Gaius 10s BC births Year of birth uncertain 54 deaths 1st-century Greek physicians Ancient Koans Ancient Greeks in Rome Ancient murderers

Poisoning of Claudius

See also

Notes