Lyon Tablet Discovery: How Claudius Opened the Roman Senate to Gauls
In 1528, a draper in Lyon unearthed the Lyon Tablet (Tabula Lugdunensis), documenting Emperor Claudius's address to the Roman Senate in 48 AD, which advocated for the inclusion of affluent Gauls. This event was a significant turning point in Roman history. Born in Lugdunum in 10 BC, Claudius was the first emperor not born in Italy and took the throne in 41 AD following Caligula's assassination. His dependence on freedmen and various reforms created tension with the Senate. Currently housed in the Gallo-Roman Museum, the tablet serves as a crucial reference for these reforms. The Aedui were recognized as the first Gauls to gain senatorial rights, as noted by Tacitus, highlighting their status and Claudius's influence on future provincial senators like Trajan and Hadrian.
Key facts
- The Lyon Tablet was discovered in 1528 by a draper in a vineyard on Croix-Rousse Hill in Lyon.
- The tablet records Emperor Claudius's speech from 48 AD advocating for the admission of wealthy Gauls into the Roman Senate.
- Claudius was born in Lugdunum (Lyon) in 10 BC, making him the first Roman emperor born outside Italy.
- The speech included historical digressions and a joke about Claudius himself being from beyond traditional senatorial limits.
- The motion passed, and the Aedui were the first Gauls to gain senatorial rights, according to Tacitus.
- Tacitus's account of the speech is shorter and omits Claudius's humor and historical asides.
- The reform allowed provincials to enter the Senate, leading to emperors like Trajan, Hadrian, and Septimius Severus from the provinces.
- The Lyon Tablet is housed in the Gallo-Roman Museum in Lyon.
Entities
Artists
- Claudius
- Julius Caesar
- Augustus
- Agrippa
- Drusus
- Tiberius
- Caligula
- Nero
- Trajan
- Hadrian
- Septimius Severus
- Livia
- Antonia the Younger
- Narcissus
- Tacitus
- Suetonius
- Cassius Dio
- Livy
- Romulus
- Numa
- Tarquin
- Munatius Plancus
Institutions
- Roman Senate
- Praetorian Guards
- Gallo-Roman Museum
- British Museum
- Crozatier Museum
- French Ministry of Culture
- Library of Congress
Locations
- Lyon
- France
- Lugdunum
- Croix-Rousse Hill
- Gaul
- Rome
- Italy
- Germania
- Rhine River
- Massalia
- Marseille
- Hispania
- Lepcis Magna
- North Africa
- Macedonia
- Achaia
- Greece
- Aedui