Gaius Ateius Capito (jurist)
Encyclopedia
Gaius Ateius Capito was a Roman
jurist
in the time of emperors
Augustus
and Tiberius
and consul suffectus in the year 5.
. He was active as a jurist and a senator
and became consul suffectus in the year 5. He was a strong proponent of the principate
which brought him in opposition to Marcus Antistius Labeo
. In 11, he became curator aquarum and was responsible for water supply and regulation throughout the city of Rome
. In 15, he and Lucius Arruntius
were entrusted by Tiberius
to work on a plan to confine the river Tiber
after heavy floods, but the project was not carried out due to heavy resistance from the populace. His successor in the office of curator aquarum was Tarius Rufus.
after his pupil and successor Masurius Sabinus
. Capito's works were read and quoted until the sixth century, although more frequently by lexicographers (especially by Sextus Pompeius Festus
and Aulus Gellius
) than by jurists.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
in the time of emperors
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
and Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
and consul suffectus in the year 5.
Life
Capito was educated as a jurist by Aulus OfiliusAulus Ofilius
Aulus Ofilius was a Roman jurist of Equestrian rank, who lived in the Roman Republic. He is named as a jurist by Pomponius...
. He was active as a jurist and a senator
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
and became consul suffectus in the year 5. He was a strong proponent of the principate
Principate
The Principate is the first period of the Roman Empire, extending from the beginning of the reign of Caesar Augustus to the Crisis of the Third Century, after which it was replaced with the Dominate. The Principate is characterized by a concerted effort on the part of the Emperors to preserve the...
which brought him in opposition to Marcus Antistius Labeo
Marcus Antistius Labeo
Marcus Antistius Labeo was a prominent jurist of ancient Rome.He was the son of Quintus Antistius Labeo, a jurist who caused himself to be slain after the defeat of his party at Philippi...
. In 11, he became curator aquarum and was responsible for water supply and regulation throughout the city of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. In 15, he and Lucius Arruntius
Lucius Arruntius
Lucius Arruntius was a Roman admiral. He saw action during the War with Sextus Pompeius, and the war of Mark Antony and Augustus. He is most notable for his participation during the Battle of Actium, where he was in command of victorious Augustus' central division...
were entrusted by Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
to work on a plan to confine the river Tiber
Tiber
The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at...
after heavy floods, but the project was not carried out due to heavy resistance from the populace. His successor in the office of curator aquarum was Tarius Rufus.
Works
All of Capito's works are lost and are only known by their titles through quotes by later authors. Works known to have existed include:- De pontificio iure ("About pontifical law"), at least six books about laws concerning the pontificesPontifexPONTIFEX was a mid-1980s project that introduced a novel approach to complex aircraft fleet scheduling, partially funded by the European Commission’s Strategic Programme for R&D in Information Technology.Since the mathematical problems stemming from non trivial fleet scheduling easily become...
- De iure sacrificiorum ("About sacrificial law")
- Coniectanea ("Miscellaneous"), at least 9 books about various themes
- De officio senatorio ("About the senatorial office")
- One work of unknown title about the augurAugurThe augur was a priest and official in the classical world, especially ancient Rome and Etruria. His main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds: whether they are flying in groups/alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of...
ies - Epistulae ("Letters")
Influence
Capito had considerable reputation as a jurist and gathered a school of jurists that became known as the Sabinian schoolSabinian school
The Sabinian school was one of the two important schools of Law in Rome during the 1st and 2nd centuries CE.The Sabinians took their name from Masurius Sabinus but later were known as Cassians after Sabinus' student, Cassius Longinus....
after his pupil and successor Masurius Sabinus
Masurius Sabinus
Masurius Sabinus, also Massurius, was a Roman jurist who lived in the time of Tiberius . Unlike most jurists of the time, he was not of senatorial rank and was admitted to the equestrian order only rather late in life, by virtue of his exceptional ability and imperial patronage...
. Capito's works were read and quoted until the sixth century, although more frequently by lexicographers (especially by Sextus Pompeius Festus
Sextus Pompeius Festus
Sextus Pompeius Festus was a Roman grammarian, who probably flourished in the later 2nd century AD, perhaps at Narbo in Gaul.He made an epitome in 20 volumes of the encyclopedic treatise in many volumes De verborum significatu, of Verrius Flaccus, a celebrated grammarian who flourished in the...
and Aulus Gellius
Aulus Gellius
Aulus Gellius , was a Latin author and grammarian, who was probably born and certainly brought up in Rome. He was educated in Athens, after which he returned to Rome, where he held a judicial office...
) than by jurists.
Sources
- Der kleine Pauly. Lexikon der Antike. München 1979
- TacitusTacitusPublius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
, AnnalsAnnals (Tacitus)The Annals by Tacitus is a history of the reigns of the four Roman Emperors succeeding Caesar Augustus. The surviving parts of the Annals extensively cover most of the reigns of Tiberius and Nero. The title Annals was probably not given by Tacitus, but derives from the fact that he treated this... - Frontinus, De aquis urbis Romae