Aulus Platorius Nepos

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Aulus Platorius Nepos Aponius Italicus Manilianus Gaius Licinius Pollio (also Aulus Platorius Nepos for short ; the full name is attested from an inscription) was a Roman politician of the early 2nd century AD. He was governor of Thrace , Germania Inferior and Britain .

As Anthony Birley notes, Nepos' career is unusual in two respects. First, he is the only governor of Britain before the time of Emperor Severus Alexander , whose career began with the low post of " Vigintisexvirate " and who later ran for a higher post as "Emperor's candidate". Unfortunately, it is not clear from the inscription in which this information is found for which post he was proposed by the Emperor Trajan . Second, he is one of only three known officials in Britain (the others are Lucius Flavius ​​Silva Nonius Bassus (Consul 81) and Gaius Bruttius Praesens (Consul 139)) to have been appointed Consul after a single higher-ranking pro- praetorical office .

It is unclear where he was born and raised. But because he was explicitly described as a friend of the emperor Hadrian before he came to power and both belong to the same tribe (Sergia), Birley is of the opinion that it is "not unlikely" that Nepos came from southern Spain; he also notes that the gentile name Platorius in the province of Baetica is otherwise attested.

In the last years of the 1st century Nepos served as the tribune of the Legio XXII Primigenia in Mainz under the orders of the governor of Germania Superior , who drew the attention of Hadrian's predecessor Trajan to him. In fact, a little later, Nepos was proposed for office by Trajan - such a proposal by the emperor was tantamount to a certain appointment. Probably in 111 he was elected praetor and then in 112/113 commissioner for three major roads in Etruria ( Via Cassia , Via Clodia , Via Ciminia ) before becoming a legate of the Legio I Adiutrix during Trajan's Parthian War . When Hadrian ascended the imperial throne in 117 , Nepos became governor of Thrace, then in spring 119 he officiated as consul. Shortly afterwards he was appointed governor of Germania Inferior and received Emperor Hadrian in this capacity during his journey through the empire in 121. He then accompanied Hadrian 122 to Britain, where he became governor of this province and supervised the construction of Hadrian's Wall . He likely brought the Legio VI Victrix with him from the mainland to aid in construction and perhaps to replace the Legio VIIII Hispana , which had left Britain around the year 108. His tenure as governor of Roman Britain can be roughly located by two military diplomas on which he is named as a public official, one of which dates from July 17, 122 and the other from September 15, 124. The beginning of his governorship should be dated to the year 122; Whether or how long he remained in office after 124 cannot be determined based on the sources.

After his time in Britain, Nepos was apparently no longer politically active. Bricks bearing his name, dated to 134, indicate that he owned a brick factory near Rome. At an unknown point in time, Nepos was active as an augur - in the inscription, which contains the political vita of Nepos, this religious office is separated from the other activities and therefore cannot be classified in terms of time. The late antique collection of biographies, Historia Augusta , which is regarded as a rather unreliable source, claims twice that Hadrian later detested his old friend.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b c CIL V, 877
  2. ^ A b Anthony R. Birley : The “Fasti” of Roman Britain. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1981, ISBN 0-19-814821-6 , p. 102.
  3. ^ Anthony R. Birley: The "Fasti" of Roman Britain. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1981, ISBN 0-19-814821-6 , p. 101.
  4. ^ Anthony R. Birley: The "Fasti" of Roman Britain. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1981, ISBN 0-19-814821-6 , p. 103.
  5. ^ Anthony R. Birley: The "Fasti" of Roman Britain. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1981, ISBN 0-19-814821-6 , pp. 101 and 104.
  6. ↑ Historia Augusta, Vita Hadriani 15.2 and 23.4.
personal data
SURNAME Platorius Nepos, Aulus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman politician
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century
DATE OF DEATH 2nd century