Valerius Romulus

Remains of the tomb of Romulus

Follis with portrait of the consecrated Valerius Romulus

Valerius Romulus (* probably at the beginning of the 90s of the 3rd century AD; † 309 AD) was the son of the late Roman usurper Maxentius .

Romulus held the consulate at a very young age in 308 and 309 . He was thus the designated heir to the throne, especially since his father had given him the title of vir nobilissimus at an early stage . He probably died in 309 and was promoted to divus . The so-called Temple of Romulus in the area of the Velia and the tomb at the Maxentiusvilla on the Via Appia may have been built in his honor . With this, Maxentius connected quite impressively the idea of Rome that he proclaimed , which was already expressed in his son's choice of cognomen and which formed the basis of his rule. Otherwise, little is known about Romulus himself. His pietas (piety or loyalty) were praised on inscriptions, which of course also served propaganda .

Maxentius himself was defeated by Constantine I in 312 .

literature

Nenad Cambi: Tetrarchic Practice in Name Giving . In: Alexander Demandt , Andreas Goltz, Heinrich Schlange-Schöningen (eds.): Diocletian and the Tetrarchy: Aspects of a turning point (Millennium Studies; Vol. 1). De Gruyter, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-11-018230-0 , p. 38ff.
John R. Curran: Pagan City and Christian Capital. Rome in the fourth century (Oxford classical monographs). Clarendon Press, Oxford 2000, ISBN 0-19-815278-7 .
Hartmut Leppin , Hauke Ziemssen: Maxentius. The last emperor in Rome ( Zabern's illustrated books on archeology ). von Zabern, Mainz 2007, ISBN 978-3-8053-3399-3 .

Remarks

↑ The prenomen has not been passed down, possibly it was the same as with his father (Marcus), see Nenad Cambi, Tetrarchic Practice in Name Giving , pp. 43f.
↑ Cf. on this and on the tomb: Hauke Ziemssen in: Leppin / Ziemssen: Maxentius , p. 109ff.
↑ On the role of Rome in Maxentius' idea of rule, cf. also John R. Curran, Pagan City and Christian Capital , pp. 50ff.

personal data
SURNAME	Romulus, Valerius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Son of the Roman usurper Maxentius
DATE OF BIRTH	between 290 and 295
DATE OF DEATH	309

[1] The prenomen has not been passed down, possibly it was the same as with his father (Marcus), see Nenad Cambi, Tetrarchic Practice in Name Giving , pp. 43f.

[2] Cf. on this and on the tomb: Hauke Ziemssen in: Leppin / Ziemssen: Maxentius , p. 109ff.

[3] On the role of Rome in Maxentius' idea of rule, cf. also John R. Curran, Pagan City and Christian Capital , pp. 50ff.