Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Vatia (also called Lentulus Batiatus by

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for h ...

) was the Roman owner of a

gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") 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 g ...

ial school in ancient Capua. It was from this school that, in 73 BC, the

Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied t ...

slave

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisi ...

and about 70 to 78 followers escaped. The breakout led to the slave rebellion known as the

Third Servile War The Third Servile War, also called the Gladiator War and the War of Spartacus by Plutarch, was the last in a series of slave rebellions against the Roman Republic known as the Servile Wars. This third rebellion was the only one that directl ...

(73–71 BC).

Identity and origins

Shackleton Bailey noted that the name ('Batiatus'), as recorded by the ancient historians, could be a corrupted form of the

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

'' Vatia'' and this ''Cornelius Lentulus Vatia'' would then have been either a Servilius Vatia by birth adopted into the Cornelii Lentuli or else a Cornelius Lentulus by birth adopted into the Servilii Vatiae. Shackleton Bailey, David. R. (1991) ''Two Studies in Roman Nomenclature'', p.73

Ronald Syme Sir Ronald Syme, (11 March 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. He was regarded as the greatest historian of ancient Rome since Theodor Mommsen and the most brilliant exponent of the history of the Roma ...

also agreed that the name 'Batiatus' was surely a corruption of 'Vatia'. It is often assumed following Shackleton Bailey's arguments that he was the same man as the Gnaeus Lentulus Vatia who was quaestor in 75 BC and tribune in 72 BC. This Lentulus was also prosecution witness against Publius Sestius in 56 BC. If he was born a Lentulus then his biological father may have been Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus the consul of 97 BC.

Gaius Servilius Vatia Gaius Servilius Vatia was a politician of the Roman Republic in the second half of the 2nd century BC. Vatia belonged to the gens Servilia, which was initially patrician, but went over to the plebeians during the Second Punic War. He was pr ...

the praetor in 102 BC may have been his adoptive father. His status as a possible

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 o ...

Lentuli (due to an adoption by a Servilius Vatia) makes him a plausible candidate as the adoptive father of Publius Cornelius Dolabella (the consul of 44 BC).

Portrayal in media

"Batiatus" was played by

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

's 1960 film, ''Spartacus'', for which Ustinov won an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while work ...

Ian McNeice Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English film and television actor. He found fame portraying government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television series ''Edge of Darkness'', and went on to feature in popular films such as '' The Englishman ...

played "Batiatus" in the 2004 television adaptation ''

''. John Hannah played "Batiatus" (here given the

praenomen The ''praenomen'' (; plural: ''praenomina'') was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the ''dies lustricus'' (day of lustration), the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the bir ...

Quintus) in the 2010

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz con ...

television series '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'' and the 2011 '' Spartacus: Gods of the Arena''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lentulus Vatia Roman gladiators Cornelii Lentuli Third Servile War Spartacus Servilii Vatiae Ancient Roman adoptees

Identity and origins

Portrayal in media

See also

References