Lucius Calpurnius Piso

Lucius Calpurnius Piso may refer to :

Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus (consul 15 BC)

Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus (PW 99) (48 BC – AD 32) was a prominent Roman senator of the early Empire. He was the son of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, consul in 58 BC, and brother of Calpurnia, the third and last wife of Julius Caesar. He was a confidant of the emperors Augustus and Tiberius. His tenure as pontifex led him sometimes to be called Lucius Calpurnius Piso Pontifex, to differentiate him from his contemporary, Lucius Calpurnius Piso the Augur, consul in 1 BC.

Piso was consul in 15 BC, and shortly thereafter engaged in Mediolanum as proconsul.Cassius Dio refers to him as governor of Pamphylia in the years 13 to 11 BC; his province probably included Galatia. In 11 BC, he was sent to Thrace as legatus pro praetore in order to put down a revolt. For his successes there, the senate honoured him with the ornamenta triumphalia.

Piso may have also been proconsul of Asia and legate of Syria, but this is disputed. He was praefectus urbi from AD 13 to 32, and a trusted adviser to both Augustus and Tiberius. He was a member of the pontifical college and of the Arval Brethren. He died in 32, and was honoured with a state funeral.

Lucius Calpurnius Piso the Augur

Lucius Calpurnius Piso (also known to contemporaries as Lucius Calpurnius Piso the Augur) (died AD 24) was a Roman senator who was appointed Roman consul in 1 BC, and an augur.

Life and career

Calpurnius Piso was a member of the Plebeian gens Calpurnia. He was the son of Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, consul in 23 BC, and the brother of Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, the consul of 7 BC. The influence of his brother enabled him to achieve a rapid consulship, which he obtained in 1 BC, when he served alongside Cossus Cornelius Lentulus Gaetulicus. After his consulship Calpurnius Piso was appointed the proconsular governor of Asia, possibly around AD 1.

In AD 16, after the treason trial and suicide of Marcus Scribonius Libo, Calpurnius Piso stated his disgust at the corruption of the judicial system. He declared he would leave Rome and live in self-imposed exile until his death. He was persuaded to remain in Rome by the emperor Tiberius. In that same year, he attempted to bring to court Urgulania, an intimate friend of the emperor’s mother, Livia. She refused to attend, and took refuge in the palace, while Livia denounced Calpurnius Piso. Tiberius was forced to intervene, and Urgulania was forced to pay a fine.

Calpurnia (gens)

The gens Calpurnia was a plebeian family at Rome, which appears in history during the 3rd century BC. The first of the gens to obtain the consulship was Gaius Calpurnius Piso in 180 BC, but from this time their consulships were very frequent, and the family of the Pisones became one of the most illustrious in the Roman state. Two important pieces of Republican legislation, the lex Calpurnia of 149 BC and lex Acilia Calpurnia of 67 BC were passed by members of the gens.

Origin of the gens

The Calpurnii claimed descent from Calpus, the son of Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome, and accordingly we find the head of Numa on some of the coins of this gens.

Praenomina used by the gens

The principle praenomina of the Calpurnii were Lucius, Gaius, Marcus, and Gnaeus.

Branches and cognomina of the gens

The family-names of the Calpurnii under the Republic are Bestia, Bibulus, Flamma, and Piso.

Piso was the name of the greatest family of the Calpurnia gens. Like many other cognomina, this name is connected with agriculture, and comes from the verb pisere or pinsere, which refers to the pounding or grinding of corn. The family first rose from obscurity during the Second Punic War, and from that time it became one of the most distinguished in the Roman state. It preserved its celebrity under the empire, and during the 1st century AD was second to the imperial family alone. Many of the Pisones bore this cognomen alone, but others bore the agnomina Caesoninus and Frugi.

Lucius Calpurnius Piso (consul 27)

Lucius Calpurnius Piso (c. 15 BC-after 27) was the son of Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso (consul of 7 BC) and Munatia Plancina. He married Licinia a daughter of the consul Marcus Licinius Crassus Dives. Lucius was consul in 27. His co-consul was his brother-in-law, Roman Senator Marcus Licinius Crassus Frugi. Lucius died in an unknown year after his consulship. He had one son Lucius Calpurnius Piso, who became consul in 57.

Piso

The Piso family of ancient Rome was a prominent plebeian branch of the gens Calpurnia, descended from Calpus the son of Numa Pompilius. with at least 50 prominent Roman family members recognized. Members are known into the 2nd century.

Notable members:

Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi (usurper)

Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi (died 261) was a Roman usurper, whose existence is questionable, as based only on the unreliable Historia Augusta.

His name was Piso, and is said to be descendant of the gens Calpurnia and that he received the title Frugi for his severe virtues; he also possibly received the title Thessalicus.

After the death of Valerian at the hands of the Persians, his successor, Emperor Gallienus, sent Valens to suppress the rebellion of the Macriani in the east. According to the Historia Augusta, Piso was sent by Macrianus (whether he was the elder or younger is not clear) to Achaea in Greece to kill Valens. Instead, Piso withdrew to Thessaly, where he proclaimed himself emperor and was eventually killed by soldiers of Valens.

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