The Cornelii Scipiones family was a longstanding, exemplary “old money” Roman noble family. We luckily have epitaphs from their sepulcre along the Via Appia which offer primary source material for Roman noble values. The epitaphs of Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus, Publius Cornelius Scipio, and Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Hispanus each communicate core values of the noblitias. In my analysis, I will use three different epitaphs to show how the nobilitas remembered each other and use Plutarch’s section on Cato the Elder to extrapolate inversely values of the nobilitas.
First, Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus’s epitaph shows how the nobility valued virtue, political positions, and military accomplishments. Directly after stating his name, the epitaph reads, “a valiant gentleman and wise, whose fine form matched his bravery surpassing well” (76). Rather than starting with the fact that Barbatus held the position of censor, his family chose to note first and foremost aspects of his virtue. The epitaph then continues to note his political positions and military accomplishments in that order. Similarly, the epitaph of Barbatus’s son has the exact same format.
Second, the premature death of Publius warrants a unique epitaph format since he did not live long enough to achieve certain accomplishments. Here, the epitaph mentions the concept of out-doing your ancestor in deeds. Addressed to Publius, the author writes in the second person, “if you had but been allowed long life in which to enjoy them [qualities listed earlier], an easy thing it would have been for you to surpass by great deeds the glory of your ancestors” (77). Strikingly, the epitaphs of Barbatus and his son do not mention anything of surpassing one’s ancestors in glory. In the case of Publius, it seems unlikely that this would mean surpassing one’s father in military glory, especially since he was a son of Scipio Africanus. Rather, we may guess that living an honorable and virtuous life was the expectation for the nobilitas. Therefore, in this sense, “to surpass by great deeds the glory of your ancestors’ ‘ means achieving the life that the Scipio’s were accustomed to during the Republic. This also shows that the nobilitas were optimistic about their youth.
Third, on a similar topic, the epitaph of Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Hispanus, after listing political positions, almost argues for the virtue and familial duty of Gnaeus. Oddly, this is written in the first person. Gnaeus writes, “I begat a family and sought to equal the exploits of my father” (78). He vies for his own virtue and is very proud that he did not disgrace the line of his ancestors. From Gnaeus, it seems clear that the nobilitas greatly feared diminishing the family name. Even if they did not accomplish extraordinary things, they at least wanted to be remembered as honoring their stock.
Lastly, Cato the Elder, a “new man” in Rome, by his virtues and actions antagonized the Roman nobilitas. Plutarch notes that Cato’s “sober discipline” and “self-restraint” clashed with the extravagance of the wealthy. He introduced a tax on goods over 1,500 drachmas, worked against public water corruption, and increased rent for public land. Although achieving military accomplishments similar to the Roman nobilitas, Cato seemingly valued honor in victory rather than the superfluous memorials of his accomplishments. Using Cato as an anti-nobilitas, the Roman nobilitas valued their display of wealth and superficial honors much more than the Scipiones epitaphs suggest.
Works Cited:
Plutarch, et al. Makers of Rome: Nine Lives by Plutarch. Penguin, 2010
Page numbers refer to The Roman Republic in Crisis, “The Scipiones Epitaphs” (handout)
Healy: Rise of Rome Blog 