POL'LIO, GAIUS ASINIUS. A Roman orator, politician, soldier, and author of considerable merit. He was born in Rome B.C. 76, but be longed to a family of Marrusinian descent. When civil war broke out between Cies:1r and Pompeius, Pollio sided with the former, was present at the crossing of the Rubicon. and took part in the battle of Pharsalia B.C. 4S. At the time of Ciesar's assassination Pollio was governor of Further Spain, and carrying on the war against Sextus Pompeins. In the subsequent struggles he sided with the triumvirate against the oli garchic senate: and on the triumph of the for mer. was appointed administrator of Gallia Transpadana. in which capacity he saved the property of the poet Vergil at Mantua from con fiscation. After Antonius and Octavianus had quarreled, it was Pollio who effected their tem porary reconciliation at BrUncht?IIIM B.C. 40: next year he conducted a successful campaign against the Parthini, a people of 111yria, and in consequence obtained a triumph. After this event, however, he withdrew altogether from political life. He lived far into the reign of the Emperor Augustus, dying at his TnsenIan villa A.D. 4, in the 80th year of his Besides having a reputation for oratory. Pollio was cele
brated as an historian. poet, and critic. His liter ary and political criticism of his contemporaries. in particular. appears to have been valuable. He also claims remembrance as a distinguished patron of Catu1110. Horace, Vergil. and other own of letters, and as the founder of the first public library at Rome. Of the writings of Pollio, we possess only three letters to Cicero ( published among correspondence 1.1 Familiares, V. 31.33). and a few fragments of his History of the Civil Tr, is collected by Peter. H is torieora ft Frugmrnta ( Leipzig, W011ilin would attribute to Pollio the 13rllum Af rira m (published with C:csa r's works by Dinter, Leipzig. 18901. but this theory is not generally accepted. Consult: Landgraf, mtcrsr+ehw1g'm 2a Casar aril! seinen (Erlangen. 1888) ; W61111111 and Miadoriski, Pollioms de Bello 1frieo 1'ompact:1,1)qm; (Leipzig. 1889) : Schmalz. Ler den Spraehgebrouch des Asinius Porno (Munich. 189o); Kornemann, Die historische Schriftstellgrei des .1sinius Pollio (Leipzig. 1896).