Gaius Asinius Pollio was born in the town known today as Chieti, which is located in central Italy. His father bore the name Gnaeus Asinius Pollio, and a brother named Asinius Marrucinus existed within this family circle. Herius Asinius likely served as his grandfather and fought as a general for the Marrucini during the Social War.
Gaius Asinius Pollio stood at the Rubicon when Julius Caesar deliberated crossing it to begin civil war. He later served as Caesar's legate at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC where he recorded 6,000 Pompeian casualties. During the conflict between Mark Antony and Octavian, Pollio suffered a severe defeat by Sextus Pompeius and escaped the battlefield in disguise.
Gaius Asinius Pollio used his influence to save Virgil's property from confiscation during veteran land distributions. He organized literary readings where authors read their own work aloud and became the first Roman author to recite his works publicly. Poems dedicated to him appeared in Virgil's Eclogues four and eight while Augustus praised Virgil for flattering lines about the Julii Caesares.
Gaius Asinius Pollio celebrated his triumph on the 25th of October after defeating the Parthini people who supported Marcus Junius Brutus. This victory occurred in 39 BC following his campaign against those supporters of Brutus. The spoils from this campaign allowed him to construct the first public library at Rome within the Atrium Libertatis.
The library constructed by Gaius Asinius Pollio stood within the Atrium Libertatis which he also erected. It featured Greek and Latin wings separately and included a magnificent art collection attached to the building that opened to the public. This institution represented a new approach to public access in Rome by combining books with visual culture in an unprecedented way.