Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus "Augur" (c. 54 BC – 25 AD) was a politician and general of the early

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

during the reign of

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

, who became

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 throu ...

in 14 BC as the colleague of

Marcus Licinius Crassus Frugi Marcus Licinius Crassus Frugi (flourished 1st century AD) was a Roman nobleman of consular rank who lived during the Roman Empire. Frugi's mother was an unnamed Roman woman, while his father was consul and governor Marcus Licinius Crassus Frugi. ...

. Enormously wealthy, he reputedly was forced by emperor

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 ...

to commit suicide in 25 AD.

Life and career

A member of the

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 ...

gens Cornelia 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 oth ...

'', the Lentuli were among the most haughty of the old Patrician families, with a long distinguished lineage that stretched back to the Sack of Rome in 387 BC. Lentulus Augur was an impoverished member of the family, and was only able to qualify for the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

as a result of a generous donation from 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), ...

. This in effect meant that he became a

client Client(s) or The Client may refer to: * Client (business) * Client (computing), hardware or software that accesses a remote service on another computer * Customer or client, a recipient of goods or services in return for monetary or other valuabl ...

of the emperor. He was used by Augustus to demonstrate the support of the ancient great houses for the system of 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. ...

, as well as his dedication to reviving the name and status of the old Roman nobility. He might be identical with Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus, who was a quaestor in 29 BC; if so, his children were

Publius Cornelius Lentulus Scipio Publius Cornelius Lentulus Scipio (c. 15 BC52 AD) was a Roman senator active during the Principate. He was suffect consul in the '' nundinium'' of July-December AD 24, as the colleague of Gaius Calpurnius Aviola. His name combines the two most fam ...

Servius Cornelius Lentulus Maluginensis Servius Cornelius Lentulus Maluginensis (died AD 23) was a Roman statesman, who flourished during the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius. He was '' flamen dialis'', and consul ''suffectus'' in AD 10. Descent Descended from the patrician Cornelia g ...

and Cosconia Gallita. With the emperor's support, he was awarded the consulship in 14 BC. Lentulus was appointed as 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 are ...

, where he served from 2 to 1 BC. Lentulus was also given the opportunity to pursue a military career, and he was appointed imperial legate of Illyricum sometime before 4 AD. It is believed that he was also the imperial legate in Moesia before 6 AD, where he fought across the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

, winning an honorary

triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

for his victories over the Getae. In 14 AD he was serving along the Danube under Germanicus as his ''

Comes ''Comes'' ( ), plural ''comites'' ( ), was a Roman title or office, and the origin Latin form of the medieval and modern title "count". Before becoming a word for various types of title or office, the word originally meant "companion", either i ...

''. The new emperor,

, had appointed him in the hope he would act as an advisor to Germanicus. His presence was resented by the Pannonian legions, who mutinied after the death of Augustus. They attacked him and he was only rescued through the intervention of Germanicus. He returned to Rome in 16 AD. When

Marcus Scribonius Libo Drusus 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 ...

killed himself (after being accused of treason), he recommended in the Senate that members of the gens Scribonius were never again to bear the name Drusus. Then in 22 AD, while standing in for the absent pontifex maximus, he objected to the appointment of the incumbent

flamen dialis In ancient Roman religion, the was the high priest of Jupiter. The term ''Dialis'' is related to ''Diespiter'', an Old Latin form of the name ''Jupiter''. There were 15 '' flamines'', of whom three were ''flamines maiores'', serving the thre ...

, Servius Cornelius Lentulus Maluginensis (his possible son) as governor of

. That same year he proposed that the property inherited by Gaius Junius Silanus through his mother would not be confiscated as a result of Silanus’ conviction of extortion, to which Tiberius agreed. In 24 AD, he was accused of conspiring to murder Tiberius along with Numerius Vibius Serenus, Marcus Caecilius Cornutus and

Lucius Seius Tubero Lucius Seius Tubero was a Roman senator, who flourished under the reign of Tiberius. He was suffect consul for February through July of the year 18, succeeding the emperor Tiberius, and as the colleague first of Germanicus, then of Livineius Regu ...

. The emperor exonerated him of all charges. Tiberius declared that, “I am not worthy to live if Lentulus hates me as well.” Lentulus died in 25 AD, leaving his enormous fortune to Tiberius.

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

implied that this was a voluntary act; Suetonius, however, states that he committed suicide and was forced to leave his fortune to Tiberius. A wealthy man (estimated at 400 million Sesterces according to

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

), his

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...

had reduced him to poverty before he was able to reclaim his wealth through the generosity of Augustus. He was given large coastal estates in

Tarraconensis Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the northern, eastern and central territories of modern Spain along with modern northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia was the ...

by Augustus, who was an absentee landholder. After his death, his lands went mostly to Tiberius, but some of his Spanish estates were obtained by the Vibii Serenii. Seneca described Lentulus as:

A barren mind, and a spirit no less feeble. He was the greatest of misers, but freer with coins than talk, so dire was his poverty of speech. He owed all his advancement to Augustus.

had a much higher opinion of him, describing him as:

A man who bore his poverty with fortitude, and when he innocently acquired great wealth, he used it with great moderation.Tacitus, IV:44

References

Bibliography

Ancient

Annals
* Suetonius
Life of Tiberius

Modern

* * * Keay, S. J. ''Roman Spain'' University of California Press (1988) * Seneca, ''Moral and Political Essays'', Trans. John Madison Cooper, Cambridge University Press (1995) * Smith, William, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', Vol II (1867). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cornelius Lentulus Augur, Gnaeus 50s BC births 25 deaths 1st-century BC Roman consuls 1st-century Romans Imperial Roman consuls Roman governors of Asia Ancient Roman generals Augurs of the Roman Empire Augur, Gnaeus Ancient Roman politicians who committed suicide Ancient Romans who committed suicide Generals of Augustus Generals of Tiberius Roman patricians Year of birth uncertain