Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito
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Publius Cornelius Scipio ‘Salvito’ (the cognomen Salvito is a nickname for ’Greetings’) was a consul who lived in the late Roman Republic. He was a member of the Cornelius gens and a relative of Scipio Africanus, the Roman general who defeated Hannibal.
Salvito married Pompey’s great-granddaughter Scribonia as her second husband. Through this marriage he became a relative of Pompey and an ally of his. Scribonia borne him children, including a son Cornelius Scipio and a daughter Cornelia Scipio who married Lucius Aemilius Paullus (who served as a censor).
Caesar replaced him with Tiberius Nero for the priesthood, because of Tiberius’ success in the Alexandrian War. Scipio never supported Julius Caesar, but was always in favour of Pompey. According to Suetonius, his character towards Caesar was ‘contemptible’.
During the Civil War between Pompey and Caesar, Salvito traveled to North Africa to assist another of Pompey’s allies, King Juba I of Numidia. There was a prophecy that Caecilii Metelli, Salvito's father, would become victorious over Caesar in Africa, however Caesar mocked this.
After the murder of Pompey in Egypt 48 BC, the civil war had reached its turning point. Caesar and his legions had begun to attack his remaining allies. In Thapsus (North Africa), King Juba and Scipio and their legions were defeated by Caesar and his legions. For this victory, Caesar received a military triumph in Rome.
After the defeat, King Juba committed suicide and Numidia in 46 BC became the Roman province of Africa Nova. Salvito was pardoned and he and his family returned to Rome. In 41/40 BC he was forced to divorce his wife Scribona in order so that her uncle Sextus Pompeius could make an alliance with the Julian family. Scribonia married Octavian (later Emperor Augustus) with whom she had a daughter, Julia the Elder. He later divorced her to marry Livia Drusilla.
Salvito later became consul in 35 BC. He died soon afterwards. He never remarried.
| Preceded by Lucius Gellius Publicola and Lucius Nonius Asprenas |
Consul of the Roman Republic with Lucius Cornificius and Titus Peducaeus 35 BC |
Succeeded by Lucius Scribonius Libo and Aemilius Lepidus Paullus |
[edit] Sources
- Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars: Caesar and Tiberius.
