Decimus Valerius Asiaticus

Decimus Valerius Asiaticus (around 5 BC[1] – 47 AD,[2][3] Greek: Δέκιμος Οὐαλέριος Ἀσιατικός[1]) was a prominent Roman Senator[4] of provincial origin.

Asiaticus was of Allobrogian origin; in the words of Ronald Syme, "of native dynastic stock.

He acceded to his first consulship during the reign of Tiberius, an office he could only have achieved with the acquiescence, if not the act, of the emperor.

[11] Despite this, Asiaticus was invited to sit with Caligula on 24 January 41 at the theatre an hour prior to his assassination.

[3] However, Michael Swan has pointed out several reasons not to suspect he was a party to the act, such as Asiaticus' own denial.

In a speech to the Senate, where Claudius defended the adlection of Gaulish men into the Senate, he obliquely disparaged Asiaticus, refusing to mention his name:[16] ut dírum nomen latronis taceam et odi illud palaestricum pródigium quod ante in domum consulatum intulit quam colonia sua solidum cívitatis romanae benificium cónsecuta estSometime after his second consulship, as Asiaticus was a well-connected man of immense wealth,[3] he had used some of his fortune to acquire and to redevelop one of Rome's most magnificent private properties, the pleasure gardens of Lucius Licinius Lucullus, a famous general, politician and glutton of the 1st century BC.

[19] He committed suicide by opening his veins,[1] but not till he had inspected his funeral pyre, and directed its removal to another spot, lest the smoke should hurt the thick foliage of the trees.

[21] Regardless of the identity of his wife, an inscription found at Tibur provides information about the identity of his son, Decimus Valerius Asiaticus, and grandson, Marcus Lollius Paulinus Decimus Valerius Asiaticus Saturninus.

[1] In Vienna, Asiaticus and his brother financed construction designed to beautify the city.