Claudius Aesopus

Although Aesopus was a leading actor of his time known by his great talent, he is also remembered for his great wealth and lavish lifestyle.

There is a few surviving information about his early life. It is possible that he was of Greek origin, and had later acquired Roman citizenship. By 91 BC he was already an established actor with numerous performances at state sponsored theatrical shows, mainly in tragedies. Plutarch wrote that he was so passionate while acting that on one occasion he struck and killed an attendant who crossed the stage.

Through acting in plays and teaching statesmen like Ciceron to improve their public speaking, Aesopus eventually amassed a large fortune. According to Macrobius who lived in 5th century, his estate was worth 20 million sesterces at the time of his death. During his lifetime, Aesopus was known for his lavish lifestyle. According to Pliny he served up dinners worth 100,000 sesterces that featured cooked songbirds costing 6,000 sesterces each. His son, Marcus Clodius Aesopus, continued to dissipate fortune that his father acquired.