Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus
Scipio-tomb.jpg
Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus 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.
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.
see also Scipio-Paullus-Gracchus family tree