Titus Petronius Secundus

Titus Petronius Secundus (* perhaps around 40; † 97 ) was a Roman knight , prefect of Egypt and involved in the assassination of Domitian as a Praetorian prefect .

Origin and family

Nothing is known about the origin of Titus Petronius Secundus, in particular about a descent from the Egyptian prefect Publius Petronius , but his office as prefect of Egypt shows that he belonged to the knighthood.

career

prefectus Aegypti

Titus Petronius Secundus was probably from 92 to 93 as the successor to Marcus Mettius Rufus praefectus Aegypti . In this capacity he visited the Colossus of Memnon in Upper Egypt on March 14, 92 AD , which he heard sounding at sunrise and had this carved into the right foot of the monumental sculpture in a Latin inscription with Greek verses:

Imp (eratore) Domitiano /

Caesare Aug (usto) German (ico) XVI c (onsule) /

T (itus) Petronius Secundus pr (aefectus) Aeg (ypti) /

audit Memnonem hora I pr (idie) Idus Mart (ias) /

et honoravit cum versibus Graecis /

infra scriptis //

GR //

curante T (ito) Attio Musa prae [f (ectus)] coh (ortis) II /

Thebaeor (um)

Another inscription dates from April 7, 93 and the name also appears (without an official title) in two papyri. His successor in the leadership of Egypt was Marcus Iunius Rufus .

praefectus praetorio

The fact that Titus Petronius Secundus was promoted to Praetorian Prefect ( praefectus praetorio ) after his tenure as Prefect of Egypt was not unusual.

Together with his prefect colleague Norbanus and together with Domitia Longina , Domitian's wife , he was initiated into the conspiracy against the emperor and participated in his assassination on September 18, 96, either because there were "certain charges" against him or he had to fear them . Another report claims that Domitian, having become suspicious, wanted to have the conspirators executed at the same time. He had written their names on a small note pad that he hid under the pillow. There one of his naked 'whisper boys' took it, with whom Domitia found it, who immediately informed the conspirators. Before starting to get rid of Domitian, Nerva was chosen as successor.

He owed his elevation to emperor to the efforts of Petronius Secundus. When the Praetorians mutinied against the new emperor in the following year (97) under the leadership of Casperius Aelianus, Nerva had to hand over Domitian's murderers, including Petronius Secundus, to them and allow them to be murdered.

literature

• Otto Stein : Petronius 68., T. Petronius Secundus, pr (aefectus) Aeg (ypti). In: RE XIX (1938) Sp. 1223f.
• Adolf Lippold: Petronius 5., TP Secundus. In: Der Kleine Pauly Vol. 4 (1972), Col. 672.
• Klaus Wachtel: T. Petronius Secundus. In: Prosopographia Imperii Romani PIR2 (1998) P 308.
• Werner Eck: Petronius 11th, TP Secundus. In: Der Neue Pauly Vol. 9 (2000) Col. 676.

Remarks

1. ↑ Eck (2000) 676.
2. ↑ CIL 3, 37 , cf. Stein Aeg . 46f., Eck (2000) 676. That long there as imp. Domitiano Caesare Aug. Germanico XVII c [os.] Read date (= 95 AD) is probably more likely than XVI cos. to be interpreted (= 92 AD), see. Stone in RE (1938) 1223.
3. ↑ Pap. Lond. III p. 44 No. 898 (undated); Pap. Jand. IV 53 col II 4 (soon after 92).
4. ↑ A Norbanus may have officiated before this.
5. ^ O. Stein in RE (1938) 1223
6. ^ Cassius Dio 67, 15, 2.
7. ↑ Cassius Dio 67, 15, 3f., Cf. R. Syme in: Chiron 13 (1983) 137.
8. ↑ Eutropius 8, 1, 1; Orosius 7, 11, 1.
9. ↑ Epitome de Caesaribus 12, 8; Cassius Dio 68, 3, 3.

predecessor	Office	successor
Marcus Mettius Rufus	Prefect of the Roman Province of Egypt 92–93	Norbanus