Gaius Septicius Clarus ('' fl.'' 2nd century CE), was a

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the

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 ...

imperial

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...

(better known as the

Praetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard (Latin: ''cohortēs praetōriae'') was a unit of the Imperial Roman army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for the Roman emperors. During the Roman Republic, the Praetorian Guard were an escort fo ...

) and influential as a friend and supporter of famous Silver Age authors

Pliny the Younger Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo (61 – c. 113), better known as Pliny the Younger (), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate ...

and

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies ...

Praetorian prefect

Little is known of Septicius Clarus' early career but soon after

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

became emperor he was considered capable and experienced enough to be appointed to the position of Praetorian Prefect, replacing

Servius Sulpicius Similis Servius Sulpicius Similis (died c. 125) was an eques of ancient Rome who held several imperial positions, both civil and military, under Trajan and Hadrian, culminating with ''praefectus'' or governor of Egypt from 107 to 112. His place of origin ...

in c. 119 CE. This was one of the most powerful positions in the Roman administration. However, a few years later (c. 122 CE) Septicius was dismissed from his post as prefect after Hadrian alleged he had been treating the empress

Vibia Sabina Vibia Sabina (13 August 83–136/137) was a Roman Empress, wife and second cousin once removed to the Roman Emperor Hadrian. She was the daughter of Matidia (niece of Roman Emperor Trajan) and suffect consul Lucius Vibius Sabinus. Early li ...

“in a more informal fashion than the etiquette of the court demanded.” His friend the imperial secretary Suetonius was dismissed for the same reason.

Literary connections

In the first letter of his famous collection of correspondence, the '' Epistulae'',

credits Septicius’ constant urgings for motivating him to publish his letters. The intimate friendship between the two is evident in another letter where Pliny playfully chides Septicius for not appearing at a lavish dinner party. In another letter, to Apollinaris, Pliny writes of Septicius Clarus: "I never met anyone more sterling, simple, frank, and trustworthy." Septicius Clarus was also a friend of the historian Suetonius who dedicated his famous collection of biographies of the early emperors, ''

The Twelve Caesars ''De vita Caesarum'' (Latin; "About the Life of the Caesars"), commonly known as ''The Twelve Caesars'', is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire written by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. The g ...

'', to him.

Family

Septicius’ family was prominent in 2nd Century CE Rome. His brother

Marcus Erucius Clarus Marcus Erucius Clarus ( fl. 2nd century AD), was a suffect consul (AD 117) and an influential friend and supporter of the famous Silver Age author Pliny the Younger. Clarus was described by Pliny as a man of honor, integrity and learning, as w ...

was suffect consul in 117 CE and conquered and burned the city of

Seleucia Seleucia (; grc-gre, Σελεύκεια), also known as or , was a major Mesopotamian city of the Seleucid empire. It stood on the west bank of the Tigris River, within the present-day Baghdad Governorate in Iraq. Name Seleucia ( grc-gre, Σ ...

during Trajan's eastern campaign. His nephew

Sextus Erucius Clarus Sextus Erucius Clarus (died March 146) was a Roman senator and aristocrat. He was Urban prefect and twice consul, the second time for the year AD 146. Clarus was the nephew of Gaius Septicius Clarus, a friend of Pliny the Younger. Erucius Clarus ...

was twice

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 ...

and also City Prefect."Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology" - Smith

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Septicius Clarus, Gaius 2nd-century Romans Clarus, Gaius Septicius Praetorian prefects