Gaius Vettius Gratus Sabinianus (c. 180 – c. 225) 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 ...

who was appointed

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 ...

in AD 221.

Biography

A member of the

Gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...

Vetti, Gratus Sabinianus was probably the grandson of Gaius Vettius Sabinianus Julius Hospes, suffect consul around AD 176. Presumably a recently established

Patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

, he began his career in the military, serving as the '' sevir equitum Romanorum'' (or commander) of the 3rd '' Turmae''. He then received a commission as 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 ...

of the

Legio VII Claudia Legio VII Claudia (Claudius' Seventh Legion) was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. History According to H.M.D. Parker, the first legion Julius Caesar raised for his campaigns in Cisalpine Gaul was the Seventh; the numbers 1-4 were omitted ...

.Memmen, p. 127 With the emperor's consent, he turned his eye to a political career. He may have been selected as an imperial candidate for the office of

quaestor A ( , , ; "investigator") was a public official in Ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officials who ...

, followed by his nomination for the office of '' praetor tutelarius'', responsible for matters pertaining to guardianships. Gratus Sabinianus’ next appointment was as the curator of the

Via Flaminia The Via Flaminia or Flaminian Way was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to ''Ariminum'' (Rimini) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had ...

, and included responsibility for the supply of food into

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He was then elected as ''consul prior'' alongside

Marcus Flavius Vitellius Seleucus Seleucus (fl. c. 221) was a Roman usurper. Seleucus was, according to the 5th-century historian Polemius Silvius, a usurper against Emperor Elagabalus. His identity is not known: he could be Julius Antonius Seleucus, governor in Moesia, or Marcus ...

in AD 221. It is speculated that Gratus Sabinianus died shortly after his consulship.Mammen, p. 130 Gratus Sabinianus had at least one son,

Gaius Vettius Gratus Atticus Sabinianus Gaius Vettius Gratus Atticus Sabinianus (fl. 3rd century) was a Roman senator who was appointed consul in AD 242. Biography A member of the newly established Patrician Gens Vettii, Atticus Sabinianus was probably the son of Gaius Vettius Gratus ...

, who was elected consul in AD 242.

Sources

* Mennen, Inge, ''Power and Status in the Roman Empire, AD 193-284'' (2011)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vettius Gratus Sabinianus, Gaius 180s births 225 deaths 2nd-century Romans 3rd-century Romans Imperial Roman consuls Gratus Sabinianus