Scipio Asiaticus
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Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus (2nd century BC) was a Roman general and statesman. He was the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio and brother of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. He was elected consul in 190 BC, and later that year led (with his brother) the Roman forces to victory at the Battle of Magnesia.
While his career may be eclipsed by the shadow of his younger brother, Lucius' life is noteworthy in several respects.
Lucius and his brother both became aediles at a very young age.
As consular commander of the forces sent against Antiochus III, he was a bitter enemy of the Aetolians. He refused the peace negotiated with the Aetolians by his brother, thus proving him to be of a strong nature.
He was supreme commander at Magnesia and thus received full credit [at his brother's insistence] for the victory over Antiochus. Upon his return to Rome, he celebrated a full triumph and requested the title "Asiaticus" to signify his conquest of Western Asia Minor.
Towards the end of his brother's life, Lucius was accused of misappropriating the funds collected from Antiochus as an indemnity. Africanus was outraged, going as far as destroying the campaign's financial records while on the floor of the Senate as an act of defiance.
After his brother's death (circa 183 BC), Lucius was thrown in prison for this supposed theft. He was eventually pardoned by the tribune Tiberius Gracchus (an ancestor of the famous politician of the 130s), although he was forced to sell his property and pay the state a lump sum.
| Preceded by: Manius Acilius Glabrio and Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica |
Consul of the Roman Republic with Gaius Laelius 190 BC |
Succeeded by: Gnaeus Manlius Vulso and Marcus Fulvius Nobilior |
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That Lucius Cornelius Scipio was either the younger or elder brother of Scipio Africanus is without historical mention in the writings of Livy or Polybius. It is an opinion that originates from the German historian Theodor Mommsen. His best-known work is the three-volume History of Rome (1854–1856). He won the 1902 Nobel Prize for literature.
