Lucius Calpurnius Piso (also known to contemporaries as Lucius Calpurnius Piso the Augur) (died AD 24) was a Roman

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 ...

who was appointed

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

in 1 BC as the colleague of

Cossus Cornelius Lentulus Gaetulicus Cossus Cornelius Lentulus Gaetulicus was a Roman senator and general, who was consul in 1 BC with Lucius Calpurnius Piso the Augur as his colleague. Originally born Cossus Cornelius Lentulus, Gaetulicus was a member of the patrician Lentulus bra ...

. He was also an

augur An augur was a priest and official in the classical Roman world. His main role was the practice of augury, the interpretation of the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds. Determinations were based upon whether they were flying i ...

Life and career

Calpurnius Piso was a member of the

Plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of ...

'' gens Calpurnia''. He was the son of Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, consul in 23 BC, and the brother of Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, the consul in 7 BC. The influence of his brother enabled him to achieve a rapid consulship. Afterwards Calpurnius Piso was appointed the

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, possibly around AD 1. In AD 16, after the treason trial and suicide of

Marcus Scribonius Libo Marcus Scribonius Libo Drusus (died 13 September 16) was a Roman accused of treason against the emperor Tiberius. Biography Early life He was likely the son or paternal grandson of Marcus Livius Drusus Libo (adopted brother of empress Livia). I ...

, Calpurnius Piso stated his disgust at the corruption of the judicial system. He declared he would leave Rome and live in self-imposed exile until his death. He was persuaded to remain in Rome by the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

. In that same year, he attempted to bring to court Urgulania, an intimate friend of the emperor's mother,

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Roman emperor, Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption in ancient Rome, adoption into the J ...

. She refused to attend, and took refuge in the palace, while Livia denounced Calpurnius Piso. Tiberius was forced to intervene, and Urgulania was forced to pay a fine. In AD 20, Calpurnius Piso was one of the advocates who defended his brother who faced treason charges, as his brother had been suspected of having killed

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was an ancient Roman general, known for his campaigns in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicus was born into an influential branch of the Patric ...

. Then in AD 24, Piso was brought up on charges of '' maiestas'', but died before his case could come before a court.Syme, p. 376 An

, Calpurnius Piso was described as having a ferocious and violent temper, and was a man who spoke his mind to Tiberius. He was married to Statilia.

References

Sources

* Syme, Ronald, ''The Augustan Aristocracy'' (1986).

Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Calpurnius Piso, Lucius 1st-century BC Romans 1st-century Romans 24 deaths Senators of the Roman Empire Imperial Roman consuls Augurs of the Roman Empire Roman governors of Asia Year of birth unknown Calpurnii Pisones

Life and career

See also

References

Sources