A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology

was given by Asinius Pollio, as an agnomen to his son C. Asinius Gallus [GALLUS, ASINIUS, No. 2]. Asinius Gallus seems not to have employed the name himself, but lie gave it as a cognomen to one of his sons by Vipsania, the former wife of the emperor Tiberius. This son, Asinius Saloninus, died in A. D. 28. (Tac. Ann. 3.75.)

SALONI'NUS, P. LICI'NIUS CORNE'LIUS VALERIA'NUS, son of Gallienus and Saloinina, grandson of the emperor Valerian. When his father and grandfather assumed the title of Augustus, in A. D. 253, the youth received the designation of Caesar. Some years afterwards he was left in Gaul, under the charge of Silvanus, at the period when Gallienus was hastily summoned to encounter the rebel Ingentuus, in Pannoinia. The insurrection headed by Postumus soon after broke out, and Saloninus was driven to take refuge in Colonia Agrippina, where he was put to death by the conqueror, upon the capture of the city in A. D. 259 [see POSTUMUS], being at that time about seventeen years old. In addition to the names placed at the head of this article, we find Gallieius upon a coin of Perinthus (see also Zonaras. 12.24), and Egnatius upon one of Samos. The appellations Cornelius Saloaninus appear to have been inherited from his mother, the remainder from his paternal ancestors. Great embarrassment has been caused to historians and archaeologists by the circumstance that, upon many of the numerous medals, both Greek and Roman, struck in his honour, while he was yet alive, he is styled Augustus ; while on those which commemorate his apotheosis, he appears as Caesar only. Among the various explanations proposed of this anomaly,

the most plausible is founded upon the supposition that, wnen left alone in Gaul, he was invested for the time being with the rank of Augustus, in order that he might command more respect during the absence of his father, but that the rank thus conferred being intended to serve a temporary purpose only, was extinguished by his death. Zonaras (12.24), when speaking of Gallienus, remarks, in passing, that his son, who was besieged by Postumus, bore the same name with his father, was regarded as heir to the empire, and was a comely and talented youth. (Trebell. Poll. Salonin. Gallien. ; Zosim. 1.38; Gruter, Corp. Insc. cclxxv. 5; Brequigny, in the Mémoires de l'Academie de Sciences et Belles Lettres, vol. xxxii. p. 262; Eckhel, vol. vii. p. 421.)

[W.R]