Publius Dasumius Rusticus facts for kids

Publius Dasumius Rusticus was an important Roman senator who lived in the early 100s AD. He became a consul in the year 119 AD, sharing this high position with the emperor Hadrian himself.

Rusticus is a bit of a mystery to historians because we only know about him from old writings and stone carvings. Even though he held such a prestigious job, we don't know much else about his life.

Who Was Publius Dasumius Rusticus?

Publius Dasumius Rusticus was a very important person in the Roman Empire. A Roman senator was like a member of a powerful government council. A Roman consul was one of the two highest elected officials in the Roman Republic and later a prestigious title during the Empire. Being a consul with the emperor was a huge honor, showing that Rusticus was highly respected.

Historians wonder why Rusticus was chosen for such a high role. One idea is that he might have been a childhood friend of Emperor Hadrian. However, there isn't much proof for this. For example, in Hadrian's home region of Baetica (part of modern-day Spain), very few people with the family name "Dasumius" have been found in historical records.

The Mystery of the Dasumius Will

For a while, people thought Rusticus was the person who wrote a famous ancient will called the Testamentum Dasumii. This idea came from a historian named Bartolomeo Borghesi. He believed that a woman named "Dasumia" mentioned in the will was Rusticus's daughter, which would mean the will belonged to someone with the "Dasumius" family name.

This idea was accepted for a long time. Experts first thought the will belonged to Lucius Dasumius Hadrianus, another important Roman, and then later to Rusticus. But then, a new part of the old inscription was discovered. This new piece showed that Borghesi's idea was wrong. So, the true owner of the Testamentum Dasumii is still unknown today.

Family Connections

Because of the mistaken idea about the will, people also thought Rusticus was the adoptive father of Lucius Dasumius Tullius Tuscus. Lucius Tullius Tuscus also became a consul in 152 AD.

However, once it was clear that the will did not belong to a "Dasumius," there was no longer any strong evidence to connect Rusticus and Lucius Tullius Tuscus. Even so, some historians believe that the adoptive father of Lucius Tullius Tuscus, whose name is otherwise unknown, was probably related to Rusticus in some way.

See also

In Spanish: Publio Dasumio Rústico para niños