Lucius Volusius Saturninus (suffect consul 12 BC)
Lucius Volusius Saturninus, also known as Lucius Volusius was a Roman Senator from a plebeian family. Volusius was a homo novus, the first member of his family to serve as a suffect consul in 12 BC, replacing Publius Sulpicius Quirinius. According to Tacitus, he held censorial functions for the selection of equestrians as members of the judicature, and became the first person in his family to amass wealth, for which his family became greatly conspicuous.
Volusius came from an ancient and distinguished Senatorial family, that according to Tacitus never rose above the praetorship. His father was Quintus Volusius a prefect who served under Cicero in 51 BC to 50 BC in Cilicia and was a pupil of his in oratory. His mother was Claudia, aunt of the future Roman emperor Tiberius. His sister was Volusia Saturnina.
Following his consulship, Volusius was admitted to the septemviri epulonum. Several years later he served as proconsular governor of Africa for 7/6 BC, as attested by coins of Acholla and Hadrumetum. From AD 4 to 5, Volusius served as a Roman Governor of Syria. Based on inscriptional evidence, the Horrea Volusiana was either built by Volusius or his grandson Quintus Volusius Saturninus, consul in 56.
Volusius married Nonia Polla, the daughter of Lucius Nonius Asprenas consul of 36 BC. Polla bore Volusius a son, Lucius Volusius Saturninus suffect consul in AD 3, and a daughter whose name is not recorded, but whose existence is assumed to explain Tacitus' claim that Lollia Paulina was the niece of the consul of the year 3. Some older authorities claim that Volusius and Nonia Polla had another daughter, Volusia Cornelia, but Rudolf Hanslik has shown she was the daughter of another Voluisus Saturninus, the consul of the year 92.
