Many of the details of his career are not known, beyond the fact Asiaticus was a close friend of the imperial house. He acceded to his first consulship during the reign of Tiberius, an office he could only have achieved with the acquiescence, if not the act, of the emperor. Tiberius' successor Caligula was also a friend to Asiaticus, and may have granted him estates in Egypt. Despite this, there were drawbacks in this relationship: Caligula confessed to committing adultery with Asiaticus' wife at a public drinking bout by complaining about her performance in bed, in front of Asiaticus; offended, he began to hate Caligula. Despite this, Asiaticus was invited to sit with Caligula on January 24, 41 at the theatre an hour prior to his assassination. When news of the deed swept through Rome and the identity of the slayers was not yet known, based on Caligula's insult to him, Asiaticus was accused of participating in Caligula's death; he replied, "I wish I had been the man." Nevertheless, some modern historians suspect Asiaticus was an accomplice in Caligula's murder. However, Michael Swan has pointed out several reasons not to suspect he was a party to the act, such as Asiaticus' own denial. One point Swan raises is that after Caligula's death, when Asiaticus offered his name to the Senate to succeed Caligula, his candidacy was opposed by one of the known participants in the assassination, Lucius Annius Vinicianus. Whether or not Asiaticus was involved in Caligula's death, contemporaries such as Sosibius suspected he was involved. This was doubtlessly the basis for Claudius' antipathy towards Asiaticus: although Asiaticus accompanied Claudius in 43 in his campaign in Britain, it was arguably because Claudius mistrusted him and wanted Asiaticus where he could keep an eye on him. In a speech to the Senate, where Claudius defended the adlection of Gaulish men into the Senate, he obliquely disparaged Asiaticus, refusing to mention his name:
Sometime after his second consulship, as Asiaticus was a well-connected man of immense wealth, he had used some of his fortune to acquire and to redevelop one of Rome’s most magnificent private properties, the pleasure gardens of Lucius Licinius Lucullus, a famous general, politician and glutton of the 1st century BC. In 47, the notorious Senator Publius Suillius Rufus, brought capital charges against Asiaticus before the Senate. Among those charges was adultery with Poppaea Sabina the Elder, mother of the empress Poppaea Sabina. The charges brought against Asiaticus were the result of a convoluted sexual conspiracy plotted by Claudius’ third wife, the empress Valeria Messalina, to seize Asiaticus’ gardens. Through the connivance of Messalina, Claudius condemned Asiaticus to death. Although Asiaticus enjoyed the public's favor, he cannot easily be seen as a threat to Claudius or Messalina. Asiaticus went to his death calmly, making arrangements for his funeral. He committed suicide by opening his veins. Asiaticus was survived by his wife and his son.
Descendants
Some historians have concluded that Asiaticus married Lollia Saturnina, the sister of Lollia Paulina, the third wife of the emperor Caligula. However, Bernard Kavanagh has argued not only that it is more likely that Saturnina was not Asiaticus' wife, but the wife of his son, but also that, as a consequence, Lollia Saturnina was likely the niece of Lollia Paulina. Regardless of the identity of his wife, an inscription found at Tibur provides information about the identity of his son, Decimus Valerius Asiaticus, and grandson, Marcus Lollius Paulinus Decimus Valerius Asiaticus Saturninus. It is possible that Asiaticus may have had other children.
Land, property and benefactions
Asiaticus invested the major part of his money in real property. According to inscriptional evidence, he owned properties in Gaul, Egypt and Italy. We know he specifically owned estates in the Egyptian towns of Euhemeria and Philadelphia. Within 3 years of his death, Asiaticus' properties were confiscated by the state. In Vienna, Asiaticus and his brother financed construction to beautify the city. An inscription found in North Vienna marks the tomb of the Scaenici Asiaticiani, a comedy troupe which owed its existence to a certain Asiaticus, perhaps Decimus Valerius Asiaticus or his father. According to another inscription, one of the freedmen of Asiaticus was known to have become a very wealthy man who probably owned properties in Lugdunum.
