Issues of Vitellius in honour of his deceased father Lucius Vitellius († AD 51)

Lucius Vitellius, the father of the emperor, had a far more distinguished career than his son. His first consulship was in AD 34 and was followed by a highly successful term as legate of Syria under Tiberius (AD 35—37) during which he was responsible for the dismissal of Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judaea. A favourite of Antonia, he became a close friend and adviser of her younger son, later the emperor Claudius. His second and third consulships were in partnership with Claudius in AD 43 and 47 and in the latter year he was also the emperor’s colleague in the censorship. Claudius even left his trusted friend in charge of the government during the invasion of Britain in AD 43. One of Lucius Vitellius’ last political acts was to advocate Agrippina’s marriage to the emperor in AD 49. On his death, two years later, he received a public funeral and a statue in the Forum bearing an epitaph commemorating his “unswerving devotion to the Princeps” (pietatis immobilis erga principem). It was small wonder that Aldus Vitellius commemorated his father’s memory so extensively on the coinage, for without the lustre of this association it is doubtful if he would ever have been proclaimed emperor.

Как свиде­тель­ст­ву­ют эти моне­ты, отец Вител­лия достиг самых высо­ких поче­стей, доступ­ных для част­но­го чело­ве­ка в Риме во вре­мя Импе­рии: три­жды был кон­су­лом и был цен­зо­ром. Он зани­мал эти посты во вре­мя прав­ле­ния Клав­дия, когда он был близ­ким дру­гом импе­ра­то­ра и самым вли­я­тель­ным рим­ским сена­то­ром.