Publius Cornelius Scipio P.f. P.n. AfricanusWith the Roman acronyms expanded, the full name is Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Publii filius Publii nepos, translated as "Publius Cornelius Scipio son of Publius grandson of Publius." In modern times he is more popularly known as the flamen dialis because the title appears in his inscription of the elogia Scipionum. (living circa 211 BC/205 BC–170 BC) was the eldest son of Scipio Africanus

Scipio Africanus

Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...

 and his wife Aemilia Paulla.The dates of Publius are uncertain, given that the dates of his parents's marriage are also uncertain. Some historians argue that Scipio Africanus married Aemilia after he returned from Spain in 206 BC, pointing to Scipio's reported comment about his betrothed wife in 209 BC (as reported by Livy). However, given that his younger brother was elected praetor in 174 BC, it is unlikely that either brother was so young as to be barely eligible for the Senate in that year. It is more likely that Scipio married Aemilia Paulla circa 212 BC or earlier, and that his two elder sons were born by 209 BC. This would make sense of the younger son's being captured by pirates circa 194–192 BC; if he was travelling to Greece or on military service, Lucius would be old enough. He was chosen flamen dialis

Flamen Dialis

In ancient Roman religion, the Flamen Dialis was the high priest of Jupiter. There were 15 flamines, of which three were flamines maiores, serving the three gods of the Archaic Triad...

 and was augur

Augur

The augur was a priest and official in the classical world, especially ancient Rome and Etruria. His main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds: whether they are flying in groups/alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of...

 from 180 BC. Little information on him survives, as he did not stand for any of the high offices or have a public career of note. Cicero

Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...

 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. For remedy according to Roman custom he adopted as son and heir his first cousin Scipio Aemilianus (b. 185 BC) who was probably born Lucius Aemilius Paullus, second and younger surviving son of Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus by his first wife Papiria Masonis. This adoption probably took place after his brother Lucius

Lucius Cornelius P.f. P.n. Scipio

Lucius Cornelius P.f. P.n. Scipio , Roman praetor in 174 BC, was the younger son of Scipio Africanus Major the great Roman general and statesman by his wife Aemilia Paulla...

 died childless. 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.

Epitaph

Fragments of his sarcophagus were discovered in the Tomb of the Scipios

Tomb of the Scipios

The Tomb of the Scipios , also called the hypogaeum Scipionum, was the common tomb of the patrician Scipio family during the Roman Republic for interments between the early 3rd century BC and the early 1st century AD...

 and are now in a wall of the Vatican Museums

Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums , in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are among the greatest museums in the world, since they display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries, including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and...

. Only the broken frontal plate survives, preserving the epitaph, written in Old Latin

Old Latin

Old Latin refers to the Latin language in the period before the age of Classical Latin; that is, all Latin before 75 BC...

 Saturnian

Saturnian (poetry)

Saturnian meter or verse is an old Latin and Italic poetic form, of which the principles of versification have become obscure. Only 132 complete uncontroversial verses survive. 95 literary verses and partial fragments have been preserved as quotations in later grammatical writings, as well as 37...

 meter:

QVEI·APICEINSIGNE·DIAL[ ]AMINIS·GESISTEI

MORS·PERFE[ ]TVA·VT·ESSENT·OMNIA

BREVIA·HONOS·FAMA·VIRTVS·QVE

GLORIA·ATQVE·INGENIVM·QVIBVSSEI

IN·LONGA·LICV[ ]SET·TIBEVTIER·VITA

FACILE·FACTEI[ ]SVPERASES·GLORIAM

MAIORVM·QVA·RE·LVBENS·TE·INGREMIV

SCIPIO·RECIP[ ]T·TERRA·PVBLI

PROGNATVM·PVBLIO·CORNELI

The break obscures a few letters, marked by the brackets. The epitaph has been stated in modern upper- and lower-case script with the missing letters restored as:

quei apice insigne Dial[is fl]aminis gesistei |

Mors perfe[cit] tua ut essent omnia | breuia

honos fama uirtusque | gloria atque ingenium

quibus sei | in longa licu[i]set tibe utier uita |

facile facteis superases gloriam | maiorum.

qua re lubens te in gremiu | Scipio recip[i]t

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:

For you who wore the distinctive cap of a Flamen Dialis, death cut everything short – honour, fame and virtue, glory and intellectual ability. If you had been granted a long life in which to use these advantages, you would have far surpassed the glory of your ancestors by your achievements. 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.