Marcus Asinius Marcellus
Encyclopedia
Marcus Asinius Marcellus was Consul
in 54 along with Marcus Acilius Aviola at the Emperor Claudius
' death. He was the son of Marcus Asinius Agrippa
, Consul
in 25 who died in 26 and described by Tacitus
(Annals 4.61) as "not unworthy of his ancestors". He was also the paternal grandson of Vipsania Agrippina
.
Marcellus was a prominent and respected Senator in Claudius
' and Nero
’s reigns. In 60, Marcellus was involved and caught in a scandal involving a relative of a Praetor
who forged his will. The associates in the scandal were disgraced and punished. Although Marcellus was disgraced and his accomplices executed, he escaped punishment because the Emperor Nero, his third cousin, intervened, reportedly because he was "great-grandson of Asinius Pollio
and bore a character far from contemptible."
He is mentioned in Tacitus
, Annals XII.64 and XIV.40.
in 104 under Emperor Trajan
.
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 54 along with Marcus Acilius Aviola at the Emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
' death. He was the son of Marcus Asinius Agrippa
Marcus Asinius Agrippa
Marcus Asinius Agrippa was Roman consul in 25 AD, and died at the end of the following year, 26 AD. He was also the half-brother of Julius Caesar Drusus, the natural son of the Emperor Tiberius. According to Tacitus, he was descended from a family more illustrious than ancient, and did not...
, Consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 25 who died in 26 and described by Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius 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...
(Annals 4.61) as "not unworthy of his ancestors". He was also the paternal grandson of Vipsania Agrippina
Vipsania Agrippina
Not to be confused with Agrippina the Elder, Agrippa's daughter by Julia the Elder.Vipsania Agrippina was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa from his first wife Pomponia Caecilia Attica, granddaughter of Cicero's friend and knight Titus Pomponius Atticus. Her maternal grandmother was a...
.
Marcellus was a prominent and respected Senator in Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
' and Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
’s reigns. In 60, Marcellus was involved and caught in a scandal involving a relative of a Praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
who forged his will. The associates in the scandal were disgraced and punished. Although Marcellus was disgraced and his accomplices executed, he escaped punishment because the Emperor Nero, his third cousin, intervened, reportedly because he was "great-grandson of Asinius Pollio
Gaius Asinius Pollio (consul 40 BC)
Gaius Asinius Pollio was a Roman soldier, politician, orator, poet, playwright, literary critic and historian, whose lost contemporary history, provided much of the material for the historians Appian and Plutarch...
and bore a character far from contemptible."
He is mentioned in Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius 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...
, Annals XII.64 and XIV.40.
Marcus Asinius Marcellus, the Younger
Marcus Asinius Marcellus had a son of the same name. The younger Marcus Asinius Marcellus was a ConsulRoman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 104 under Emperor Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
.