Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus

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Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus (died c. 280 BC) was one of the Roman consuls in 298 BC. He led the Roman army to victory against the Etruscans near Volaterrae. A member of the noble Roman family of Scipiones, he was the father of Lucius Cornelius Scipio and Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina.

His sarcophagus, now in the Vatican Museums, preserves his epitaph, written in Old Latin Saturnian meter:

CORNELIVS·LVCIVS·SCIPIO·BARBATVS·GNAIVOD·PATRE

PROGNATVS·FORTIS·VIR·SAPIENSQVE—QVOIVS·FORMA·VIRTVTEI·PARISVMA

FVIT—CONSOL CENSOR·AIDILIS·QVEI·FVIT·APVD·VOS—TAVRASIA·CISAVNA

SAMNIO·CEPIT—SVBIGIT·OMNE·LOVCANA·OPSIDESQVE·ABDOVCIT

"Cornelius Lucius Scipio Barbatus, sprung from Gnaeus his father, a man strong and wise, whose appearance was most in keeping with his virtue, who was consul, censor, and aedile among you - He captured Taurasia, Cisauna, Samnium - he subdued all Lucania and led off hostages."

He was the patrician censor of 280 BC. His censorate is notable because it is the first one of which we have a reliable record, though the position was quite old by that time.

Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus

See also