Lucius Cornelius Balbus

Lucius Cornelius Balbus was a wealthy Roman politician and businessman who played a significant role in the emergence of the Principate from the Roman Republic. He was a prominent supporter of Julius Caesar and a close advisor to the emperor Augustus. Of Punic origin, Balbus was born in the early first century BC in Gades, Hispania. He was the first naturalized citizen to become a Roman consul.