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Halotus (c. 20-30 ADc. 70-80 AD) was a servant to the Roman Emperor Claudius, the fourth member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.〔Anthony A. Barrett ''Agrippina: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Early Empire'', page 140. Routledge, 1996. ISBN 0-415-20867-X〕 He served Claudius as a taster and as a chief steward, and it was because of his occupation, which entailed close contact with Claudius at all times, that he is and was a suspect in the murder of the latter by poison. Along with Agrippina the Younger, the wife of Claudius, Halotus was considered one of the most likely to have committed the murder, although speculation by ancient historians suggest that he may have been working under orders of Agrippina.〔 Following the death of Claudius, much public outrage ensued, and there was a clear desire in the general public that Halotus, and several other suspects (such as Tigellinus, another servant who served Claudius), be executed. However, Nero, who succeeded the throne, allowed Halotus to continue as chief steward and taster; Halotus served Nero until the latter's death in 68, and Galba's assumption of the throne. Shortly after Galba became Emperor, he bestowed upon Halotus an "important procuratorship".〔Vasily Rudich ''Political Dissidence Under Nero'' Routledge, 1993 ISBN 0-415-06951-3〕 This new occupation of procurator resulted in Halotus' becoming a very wealthy man in Roman society. Galba's reason for allowing Halotus such a well-paying job when he was generally unpopular in the Roman society could not fairly be predicted; Galba often made decisions that were not well liked by the public, but which Galba often claimed were "for the economic good". Halotus died close to the end of the century, his public reputation somewhat restored after his rise in stature and wealth. His date of death is not mentioned by ancient historians of the time, such as Tacitus or Suetonius, who were also some of the main recorders of the events surrounding Claudius' death, and the political trauma that followed. Whether Halotus was truly involved in the murder of Claudius and to what extent remains an unresolved point, as do many other aspects related to Claudius' passing. ==Servant== Halotus worked as a servant for Claudius and also held the position of official taster, an occupation which entailed his tasting of a portion of every meal Claudius ate each day for poison. Tasters also worked to detect less sinister problems with the Emperor's meal, such as whether the food was fit to be consumed.〔John Augustus Keats ''An Introduction to Quantitative Psychology''. J. Wiley & Sons, 1971〕 As the Emperor's personal taster, Halotus would accompany Claudius to every banquet or dinner, and as chief steward, he would have been with Claudius and his family for the majority of the time. Thus he could have formed a relationship with Agrippina the Younger suggesting the possibility of their collaboration in poisoning Claudius.〔 It also meant that he would have been aware of details such as the Emperor's food preferences, his meal times and the specifics of his schedule, making it easier for him to commit the murder. Halotus was also known to have been a eunuch.〔Fik Meijer ''Emperors Don't Die in Bed''. Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-415-31201-9〕 There are many possible reasons for this, but the most likely is related to the possibility of sexual contact between servant and master; a prohibition against sexual contact between royalty and servants, guards and slaves was not uncommon in many parts of the world during Halotus' era, and it was thought that male castration would prevent this. Halotus may have been required to submit to castration in order to hold his position. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Halotus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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