Vedius Pollio

Life & Legacy

Publius Vedius Pollio (died 15 BC) was a Roman of equestrian rank, and a friend of the Roman emperor Augustus, who appointed him to a position of authority in the province of Asia. In later life, he became infamous for his luxurious tastes and cruelty to his slaves – when they displeased him, he had them fed to "lampreys" that he maintained for that purpose, which was deemed to be an exceedingly cruel act. When Vedius tried to apply this method of execution to a slave who broke a crystal cup, Emperor Augustus (Pollio's guest at the time) was so appalled that he not only intervened to prevent the execution but had all of Pollio's valuable drinking vessels deliberately broken. This incident, and Augustus's demolition of Vedius's mansion in Rome, which Augustus inherited in Vedius's will, were frequently referred to in antiquity in discussions of ethics and of the public role of Augustus.