Pig in Roman uniform
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, a consul for 137 BCE, was so obese that any movement and effort over time became a great problem for him. Due to his physical condition and clumsiness on the battlefield, he was given the nickname Porcina (“Pig”).
In turn, Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio, consul for 138 BCE, had the nickname Serapio. His nickname was a malicious joke by Nasica’s political opponent Gaius Curiatius, resulting from the aristocrat’s striking resemblance to a pig seller named Serapio.
Sources
- McKeown J. C., A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities: Strange Tales and Surprising Facts from the World's Greatest Empire, 2010
