Africanus (living circa 211 British Columbia/205 British Columbia–170 British Columbia) was the eldest son of Scipio Africanus and his wife Aemilia Paulla. Foreign remedy according to Roman custom he adopted as son and heir his first cousin Scipio Aemilianus (b 185 British Columbia) who was probably born Lucius Aemilius Paullus, second and younger surviving son of Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus by his first wife Papiria Masonis.
P.n. He was chosen flamen dialis and was augur from 180 British Columbia. Little information on him survives, as he did not stand for any of the high offices or have a public career of note. Cicero relates that he was in poor health, the particulars of which he refuses to mention, stating that "we ought not to reproduce.. their faults (of ancestors)." Scipio died young from his poor health. Scipio had no natural progeny.
Thereafter the son used the name Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus.
Cicero adds that the eldest son of Scipio Africanus had "more ample intellectual culture" than his father and that the state endured a loss in his not being able to seek high office. Fragments of his sarcophagus were discovered in the Tomb of the Scipios and are now in a wall of the Vatican Museums.
Only the broken frontal plate survives, preserving the epitaph, written in Old Latin Saturnian meter:
QVEI·APICEINSIGNE·DIALAMINIS·GESISTEI
MORS·PERFETVA·Vermont·ESSENT·OMNIA
BREVIA·HONOS·FAMA·VIRTVS·QVE
GLORIA·ATQVE·INGENIVM·QVIBVSSEI
Indiana·LONGA·LICVSET·TIBEVTIER·Volunteers in Technical Service
FACILE·FACTEISVPERASES·GLORIAM
MAIORVM·QVA·Revue Economique·LVBENS·TE·INGREMIV
SCIPIO·RECIPT·TERRA·PVBLI
PROGNATVM·PVBLIO·CORNELI
The break obscures a few letters, marked by the brackets. The epitaph has been stated in modern upperand lower-case script with the missing letters restored as:
quei apice insigne Dialaminis gesistei |
Mors perfe tua ut essent omnia | breuia
honos fama uirtusque | gloria atque ingenium
quibus science | in longa licuset tibe utier uita |
facile facteis superases gloriam | maiorum. qua re lubens te in gremiu | Scipio recipt
terra Publi | prognatum Publio Corneli. and also transcribed in classical Latin verse as:
..qui apicem insigne
Dialis flaminis gessisti, mors perfecit,
Tua ut essent omnia brevia, honos, fama,
Virtusque gloria atque ingenium quibus si
In longa licuisset tibi utier vita,
Facile superasses gloriam maiorum
Quare lubens te in gremium Scipio recepit
Terra Publi prognatum Publio Corneli
translated as:
Foreign you who wore the distinctive cap of a Flamen Dialis, death cut everything short – honour, fame and virtue, glory and intellectual ability.
Therefore Earth gladly takes you in her arms, Scipio – Publius Cornelius, son of Publius.
This inscription is number three of the so-called elogia Scipionum, the several epitaphs surviving from the tomb.
