Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus (consul 79 BC)

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Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus (b. c. 134 BC), son of Gaius Servilius Vatia and wife Caecilia Metella, daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus, was a Praetor in 84 BC and a Roman Consul, appointed by the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla for 79 BC. He was the father of the consul of 48 BC and 41 BC, Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus.

After his consulship he was sent and went as proconsular governor to Cilicia, where he fought a campaign against pirates and the Isauri, in Cilicia, having won many battles. Upon his return to Rome he triumphed in 74 BC and was given the agnomen Isauricus from one of those won battles. (Liv. Epit. 90, 93; Oros. v. 23 ; Flor. iii. 6 ; Eutrop. vi. 3 ; Strab. xiv. pp. 667, 671 ; Frontin. Strat. iii. 7. § 1; Cic. Verr. i. 21, iii. 90, v. 26, 30, de Leg. Agr. i. 2, ii. 19 ; Val. Max. viii. 5. § 6 ; comp. Drumann, GescUchte Roms, vol. iv. pp. 396, 397.)

After his return to Rome, Vatia served as one of the judges in the trial of Gaius Verres and he supported the effort to give Pompey the command of the war against the pirates. In 63 BC he was a candidate for pontifex maximus, but was defeated by Julius Caesar, who had served under him in the war against the pirates. In 55 BC he was elected censor. He took no part in the civil wars and died in 44 BC.

He also had a daughter named Servilia.

[edit] Further reading

• Manuel Dejante Pinto de Magalhães Arnao Metello and João Carlos Metello de Nápoles, "Metellos de Portugal, Brasil e Roma", Torres Novas, 1998

Preceded by Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius

Consul of the Roman Republic with Appius Claudius Pulcher 79 BC

Succeeded by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and Quintus Lutatius Catulus