Marcus Asinius Marcellus

Who is Marcus Asinius Marcellus?

Marcus Asinius Marcellus was Consul in 54 along with Marcus Acilius Aviola at the Emperor Claudius' death. He was the son of Marcus Asinius Agrippa, Consul in 25 who died in 26 and described by Tacitus as "not unworthy of his ancestors". He was also the paternal grandson of Vipsania Agrippina.

Marcellus was a prominent and respected Senator in Claudius' and Nero’s reigns. In 60, Marcellus was involved and caught in a scandal involving a relative of a Praetor who forged his will. The associates in the scandal were disgraced and punished. Although Marcellus was disgraced and his accomplices executed, he escaped punishment because the Emperor Nero, his third cousin, intervened, reportedly because he was "great-grandson of Asinius Pollio and bore a character far from contemptible."

He is mentioned in Tacitus, Annals XII.64 and XIV.40.