Gaius Salvius Liberalis Nonius Bassus ( fl. 80s CE) was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and general, who held civil office in Britain and was a member of the

Arval Brethren In ancient Roman religion, the Arval Brethren ( la, Fratres Arvales, "Brothers of the Fields") or Arval Brothers were a body of priests who offered annual sacrifices to the Lares and gods to guarantee good harvests. Inscriptions provide eviden ...

. He was suffect consul in the last ''

nundinium Nundinium was a Latin word derived from the word '' nundinum'', which referred to the cycle of days observed by the Romans. During the Roman Empire, ''nundinium'' came to mean the duration of a single consulship among several in a calendar year. S ...

'' of 85, with Cornelius Orestes as his colleague.

Life

Gaius Salvius Liberalis is known to have come from Urbs Salvia in

Picenum Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was ''Regio V'' in the Augustan territorial organization of Roman Italy. Picenum was also ...

. According to

Ronald Syme Sir Ronald Syme, (11 March 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. He was regarded as the greatest historian of ancient Rome since Theodor Mommsen and the most brilliant exponent of the history of the Roman ...

, he may have been first cousin to the

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

Lucius Flavius Silva Nonius Bassus Lucius Flavius Silva Nonius Bassus was a late-1st-century Roman general, governor of the province of Iudaea and consul. Silva was the commander of the army, composed mainly of the ''Legio X Fretensis'', in 72 AD which laid siege to the near-impre ...

. However, Olli Salomies provides some evidence against this, most notably an inscription that indicates his mother's name was Ann a(?) An inscription recovered from Urbs Salvia supplies his father's ''praenomen'', Gaius; more importantly it provides details of his ''

cursus honorum The ''cursus honorum'' (; , or more colloquially 'ladder of offices') was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The '' ...

''. The first office listed is the record of holding the chief magistracy of his home town in four census years; Anthony Birley explains this would extend 15 years from the first to the last tenure of this office.Birley, ''The Fasti of Roman Britain'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981), p. 211 Next was his

adlecti During the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and later, adlecti, or allecti were those who were chosen to fill up a vacancy in any office or collegium, and especially those who were chosen to fill up the proper number of the senate. As these would be ge ...

on into the Roman Senate as an ex-

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vario ...

, although another line of the inscription states he was adlected as an ex-

tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...

; from this, and in analogy of the career of

Gaius Caristanius Fronto Gaius Caristanius Fronto was a Roman soldier and equites whom Vespasian promoted to the Roman Senate for his loyalty to the latter in the Year of Four Emperors (AD 69). He was appointed suffect consul in AD 90 as the colleague of Quintus Accaeus ...

, Birley deduces Salvius Liberalis "probably also held

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

military appointments and had been on the right side in the year 69." He was co-opted into the Arval Brethren 1 March 78, replacing the deceased

Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus (died 78) was a Roman Senator who lived in the Roman Empire during the 1st century during the reign of Vespasian (r. 69–79). Life Patruinus came from a wealthy family of Vicetia (modern Vicenza, northern Italy ...

; however, Salvius Liberalis was absent from the Arval ceremonies, returning by 30 October 81. Syme dates his tenure as '' juridicius Augustorum'' in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

to 78–81, while H. Peterson argues that Salvius was commander of the

Legio V Macedonica ''Legio V Macedonica'' (the Fifth Macedonian Legion) was a Roman legion. It was probably originally levied in 43 BC by consul Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus and Gaius Iulius Caesar Octavianus (later known as the Emperor Augustus). It was bas ...

from May 78 to 24 June 79 or slightly later, becoming ''juridicius'' between those dates. Birley proposes yet a third chronology, dating his command of V Macedonica prior to his co-option into the Arval Brethren, in which case "if the priesthood was in some sense a reward for meritorious service as a legionary legate, it would be intelligible that it should be mentioned after it." Salvius Liberalis would then have held command of V Macedonica from 74 to 78, and served as ''juridicius'' from 78 to 81.''Fasti of Roman Britain'', p. 212 Afterwards Salvius Liberalis was proconsul of Macedonia. Syme argues, based on his absence again from the rituals of the Arval Brethren, he was proconsul in 84/85. In contrast, Paul Leunissen suggests instead a slightly earlier proconsular tenure, 82/83. Birley also dates the proconsulship to 82/83. He returned to Rome accept appointment as suffect consul. Syme argues that in the aftermath of the trial of

Gaius Caecilius Classicus Gaius, sometimes spelled ''Gajus'', Kaius, Cajus, Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People * Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist *Gaius Acilius *Gaius Antonius *Gaius Antonius Hybrida *Gaius Asinius Gallus *Gaius Asinius P ...

, Salvius Liberalis was sent into exile. Birley notes he was "an outstanding advocate, fluent and forcible, whether prosecuting or for the defence" then notes, "His outspokenness won

Vespasian Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...

's approval, but under Domitian he was in trouble, perhaps exile." He returned at a later date, probably after the assassination of

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavi ...

, Salvius Liberalis returned to Rome where he served as a lawyer. In 100, he was advocate for the defense of a proconsul of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

prosecuted by

Agricola Agricola, the Latin word for farmer, may also refer to: People Cognomen or given name :''In chronological order'' * Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40–93), Roman governor of Britannia (AD 77–85) * Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, Roman governor of the mid ...

.Syme, ''Some Arval Brethren'', p. 37; Pliny the Younger, ''Epistulae''
II.11.17
/ref> He is recorded as present for the meetings of the Arval Brotherhood in 101, but is missing from their ''Acta'' for 105, and it is likely he died between those years.''Fasti of Roman Britain'', p. 213

Family

A gravestone found near Rome dedicated to his wife, Vitellia C.f. Rufilla, by his son, Gaius Salvius Vitellanius, provides details of his family. Salvius Vitellanius is known to have been a

military tribune A military tribune (Latin ''tribunus militum'', "tribune of the soldiers") was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion. Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribune as a stepping stone to ...

in Legio V Macedonica and legate to the proconsul of Macedonia; Birley suspects in both cases he served under his father.

In fiction

Gaius Salvius Liberalis appears in books II-V of the

Cambridge Latin Course The Cambridge Latin Course (CLC) is a series of textbooks published by Cambridge University Press, used to teach Latin to secondary school pupils. It provides a grounding in vocabulary, grammar and sense which allows progression through Common ...

as a conniving and evil man. He sentences many slaves to death, is disliked by most people and the main antagonist, who helps the emperor coordinate the downfall of many people. He is involved in a conspiracy against

Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus (or Togidubnus, Togidumnus or similar; see naming difficulties) was a 1st-century king of the Regni or Regnenses tribe in early Roman Britain. Chichester and the nearby Roman villa at Fishbourne, believed by some ...

and unravels the affair between Paris and the emperor's wife, Domitia. Eventually, he is tried for his crimes and exiled for five years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salvius Liberalis, Gaius 1st-century Romans Liberalis Roman governors of Macedonia Ancient Romans in Britain Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Ancient Roman exiles