Halotus
| Halotus | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 20–30 AD |
| Died | c. 70–80 AD (~50 years) |
| Occupation | Food taster and butler |
| Known for | Servant to Claudius, suspect in his murder |
Halotus (c. 20–30 AD – c. 70–80 AD) was a servant to the Roman Emperor Claudius, the fourth member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He served Claudius as a taster and as a chief steward; it was because of his occupation, which entailed close contact with Claudius, that he is and was a suspect in the murder of the latter by poison. Along with Agrippina the Younger, the wife of Claudius, Halotus was considered one of the most likely to have committed the murder, although speculation by ancient historians suggest that he may have been working under orders of Agrippina.
Following the death of Claudius, much public outrage ensued, and there was a clear desire in the general public that Halotus and several other suspects (such as Tigellinus, another servant who served Claudius), be executed. Nero, who acceded to the throne, allowed Halotus to continue as chief steward and taster; Halotus served Nero until the latter's death in 68, and Galba's assumption of the throne.
Shortly after Galba became Emperor, he bestowed upon Halotus an "important procuratorship". This new occupation of resulted in Halotus' becoming a very wealthy man in Roman society. Galba's reason for allowing Halotus such a well-paying job when he was generally unpopular in the Roman society could not fairly be predicted; Galba often made decisions that were not well liked by the public but which Galba often claimed were "for the economic good".
Halotus died close to the end of the century, his public reputation somewhat restored after his rise in stature and wealth. His date of death is not mentioned by ancient historians of the time, such as Tacitus or Suetonius, who were also some of the main recorders of the events around Claudius' death and the political trauma that followed. Whether Halotus was involved in the murder of Claudius and to what extent remains an unresolved point, as do many other aspects related to Claudius' passing.
Halotus worked as a servant for Claudius and also held the position of official taster, an occupation which entailed his tasting of a portion of every meal Claudius ate each day for poison. Tasters also worked to detect less sinister problems with the Emperor's meal, such as whether the food was fit to be consumed.
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