Disfraz de vitellius biography

He died of a paralytic stroke on the second day after he was seized, leaving two sons, begotten of Sestilia, a most worthy woman and of no mean family, and having lived to see them consuls both in the same year, and for the whole year, since the younger succeeded the elder for six months. On his decease the senate honoured him with a public funeral and with a statue on the rostra with this inscription: "Of unwavering loyalty to his emperor.

His parents were so aghast at his horoscope as announced by the astrologers, that his father tried his utmost, while he lived, to prevent the assignment of any province to his son; and when he was sent to the legions and hailed as emperor, his mother immediately mourned over him as lost. He spent his boyhood and early youth at Capreae among the wantons of Tiberius, being branded for all time with the nickname Spintria and suspected of having been the cause of his father's first advancement at the expense of his own chastity.

Stained by every sort of baseness as he advanced in years, he held a prominent place at court, winning the intimacy of Gaius by his devotion to driving and of Claudius by his passion for dice. But he was still dearer to Nero, not only because of these same qualities, but because of a special service besides; for when he was presiding at the contests of the Neronia and Nero wished to compete among the lyre-players, but did not venture to do so although there was a general demand for him and accordingly left the theatre, Vitellius called him back, alleging that he came as an envoy from the insistent people, and thus gave Nero a chance to yield to their entreaties.

Having in this way through the favour of three emperors been honoured not only with political positions but with distinguished priesthoods as well, he afterwards governed Africa as proconsul and served as curator of public works, but with varying purpose and reputation. In his province he showed exceptional integrity for two successive years, for he served as deputy to his brother, who succeeded him; but in his city offices he was said to have stolen some of the offerings and ornaments from the temples and changed others, substituting tin and brass for gold and silver.

He had to wife Petronia, daughter of an ex-consul, and by her a son Petronianus, who was disfraz de vitellius biography in one eye. Since this son was named as his mother's heir on condition of being freed from his father's authority, he manumitted him, but shortly afterwards killed him, according to the general belief, charging him besides with attempted parricide, and alleging that his guilty conscience had led him to drink the poison which he had mixed for his intended crime.

Disfraz de vitellius biography

Soon afterwards he married Galeria Fundana, daughter of an ex-praetor, and from her too he had a son and a daughter, but the former stammered so, that he was all but dumb and tongue-tied. Galba surprised everyone by sending him to Lower Germany. Some think that it was due to Titus Vinius, who had great influence at the time, and whose friendship Vitellius had long since won through their common support of the Blues.

But since Galba openly declared that no men were less to be feared than those who thought of nothing but eating, and that Vitellius's bottomless gullet might be filled from the resources of the province, it is clear to anyone that he was chosen rather through contempt than favour. It is notorious that when he was about to start, he lacked means for his travelling expenses, and that his need of funds was such, that after consigning his wife and children, whom he left in Rome, to a hired garret, he let his house for the rest of the year; and that he took a valuable pearl from his mother's ear and pawned it, to defray the expenses of his journey.

He had to resort to false accusation to get rid of the throng of creditors that lay in wait for him and tried to detain him, including the disfraz de vitellius biography of Sinuessa and of Formiae, whose public revenues he had embezzled; for he brought an action for damages against a freedman who was somewhat persistent in demanding what was due to him, alleging that he had been kicked by him, and would not let him off until he had squeezed him to the tune of fifty thousand sesterces.

On his arrival the army, which was disaffected towards the emperor and inclined to mutiny, received him gladly with open arms, as if he had come to them as a gift from the gods; since he was the son of a man who had thrice been consul, in the prime of life, and of an easy-going and lavish disposition. This earlier good opinion Vitellius had also strengthened by recent acts, for throughout the march he kissed even the common soldiers whom he met, and at the posthouses and inns he was unusually affable to the mule drivers and travellers, asking each of them in the morning whether they had breakfasted and even showing by belching that he had done so.

As soon as he had entered the camp, he granted every request that anyone made and even of his own accord freed those in disgrace from their penalties, defendants of suits from their mourning, and the convicted from punishment. Therefore hardly a month had passed, when the soldiers, regardless of the hour, for it was already evening, hastily took him from his bedroom, just as he was, in his common house-clothes, and hailed him as emperor.

Then he was carried about the most populous villages, holding a drawn sword of the Deified Julius, which someone had taken from a shrine of Mars and handed him during the first congratulations. He did not return to headquarters until the dining-room caught fire from the stove and was ablaze; and then, when all were shocked and troubled at what seemed a bad omen, he said: "Be of good cheer; to us light is given"; and this was his only address to the soldiers.

When he presently received the support of the army of the upper province too, which had previously transferred its allegiance for Galba to the senate, he eagerly accepted the surname of Germanicus, which was unanimously offered him, put off accepting the title of Augustus, and forever refused that of Caesar. Then hearing of the murder of Galba, he settled affairs in Germany and made two divisions of his forces, one to send on against Otho, and the other to lead in person.

The former was greeted with a lucky omen at the start, for an eagle suddenly flew towards them from the right and after hovering about the standards, slowly preceded their line of march. But, on the contrary, when he himself began his advance, the equestrian statues which were being set up everywhere in his honour on a sudden all collapsed with broken legs, and the laurel crown which he had put on with due ceremony fell into a running stream.

Later, as he was sitting in judgment on the tribunal at Vienna, a cock perched on his shoulder and then on his head. Grade Levels. Course, Subject. History, World Languages. Options Printer Friendly Version Email. Related Academic Standards. Discuss the fundamental products and customs of Greco-Roman culture. Basic classical mythology Famous people and cities Roman marketplace.

Discuss the main products and customs of Greco-Roman culture. Lucius Vitellius and Sextilia gave disfraz de vitellius biography to two sons; the first was Aulus Vitellius and the second passed away right after he was born. He came from the Roman family of gens Vitellia which had two accounts about its origin. One account was that the family were descendants of Latium rulers while the other account described the clan as lowly in origin.

Lucius Vitellius was poised as the respectable consul three times and also held the position of co-consul during the time of emperor Claudius. Notably, he also governed Syria and later on, in AD 48, Aulus Vitellius would hold the rank of consul. Aulus Vitellius married two times. In AD 40, he wed Petronia, who came from a rich lineage.

He had his son murdered in 69 AD to obtain the fortune. He was adept at gaining the favor of emperors through his skills in various events. The features reproduce those of the so-called Vitellius in the National Archaeological Museum in Venice, which came to light in Rome in the early 16th century. The Venetian bust — which is actually the representation of an anonymous figure from the Hadrian era — enjoyed great and lasting popularity among artists, as is proved by the numerous copies made of it in bronze, marble, terracotta and painting over the following centuries Gaboritp.

Compared to the prototype, the work in question portrays a face with fewer wrinkles and an expression more absorbed than determined: the hardness of the porphyry in which the bust was realised may account for these differences. The work forms part of a series of 16 busts in porphyry from Palazzo Borghese in Campo Marzio: they reproduce the Twelve Caesars narrated by Suetonius, with the addition of Nerva and Trajan and second versions of Vitellius and Titus.

They were formerly placed in recesses in the gallery and framed by an arrangement of plaster reliefs depicting key episodes in the life of each and personifications of their respective virtues; this decoration was executed by Cosimo Fancelli between and Hibbard The busts remained here until roughly Nibby, p. To the series was now added a second bust of Vespasian, sculpted by Tommaso Fedeli inwhich had been in the Gladiator Room.

I, pp. Yet if this description which includes a second Vespasian, executed by Tommaso Fedeli in and transferred from the Gladiator Room corresponds to the current state of the series, we are left with several uncertainties: to begin with, we must ask what happened to the busts of Caesar, Titus and Nerva, which were present in but do not form part of the series today; secondly, we must wonder who the fourth consul referred to by Nibby in could be, given that currently only three are represented Agrippa, Cicero and Scipio Africanus ; and finally, we must inquire where the busts of the consuls came from.

It is therefore possible that the sculptures displayed in the gallery, which were already present in Palazzo Borghese, did not correspond to those envisioned for the iconographic programme of the vault: this discrepancy may have indeed complicated the identification of the portraits. This theory is supported by the common date of execution of the busts, which critics believe were all sculpted in the same period during the 17th century Faldipp.

Stefani,p. Portrait of Vitellius roman school This bust reproduces the features of an ancient head which came to light in Rome in the s and which for centuries was believed to be the portrait of Aulus Vitellius Germanicus, who was emperor for several months in Object details Inventory. Room 4 - Room of the Emperors. Modern Sculpture.