(Gaius) Vipstanus Messalla Gallus (c. 10 BC – aft. 60) 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 ...

Life

He was ''

consul suffectus A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...

'' in the ''

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 July-December 48 as the colleague of

Lucius Vitellius Lucius Vitellius (before 7 BC – AD 51) was the youngest of four sons of procurator Publius Vitellius and the only one who did not die through politics. He was consul three times, which was unusual during the Roman empire for someone who was ...

. J. Devrecker has offered the argument that the elements in his name ought to be set out as Gaius Messalla Vipstanus Gallus.Devrecker
"C. Messalla Vipstanus Gallus, ou l'histoire d'un nom"
''

Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik The ''Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik'' (commonly abbreviated ZPE; "Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy") is a peer-reviewed academic journal which contains articles that pertain to papyrology and epigraphy. It has been described as "th ...

'', 22 (1976), pp. 203-206 Gallus has been identified as the

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

for the term 59/60. Based on the elements of his ''cognomen'' Messalla,

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 ...

suggested that Vipstanus Messalla Gallus was the son of

Lucius Vipstanus Gallus Lucius Vipstanus Gallus (died 17) was a Roman senator who is the first documented member of the gens Vipstana. His descendants and relatives include several consuls. Life A member of a family which originated from the Aequi who were enrolled in ...

and a postulated Valeria Messallia, paternal granddaughter of

Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus (64 BC – AD 8 or c. 12) was a Roman general, author, and patron of literature and art. Family Corvinus was the son of the consul in 61 BC, Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger,Syme, R., ''Augustan Aristocracy'', ...

. He succeeded as ''consul suffectus''

Lucius Vipstanus Poplicola Messalla Lucius Vipstanus Poplicola Messalla was a patrician senator. Life He was the son of Lucius Vipstanus Messalla, ordinary consul in 115. The presence of the ''cognomina'' "Popicola" and "Messalla" indicates that he was related to the Valerii thro ...

, who completed his consulate in July 48, and who has been suggested to have been his brother, also based on the elements of his ''cognomeni'' Poplicola Messalla. It is also surmised that Gallus is the father of the orator Lucius Vipstanus Messalla. Gallus' wife had earlier been married to Lucius Aquillius Lucius filius Regulus, the

pontifex A pontiff (from Latin ''pontifex'') was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs."Pontifex". "Oxford English Dictionary", March 2007 The term "pontiff" was late ...

and

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 ...

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

mentioned in , and by whom she had a son named

Marcus Aquilius Regulus Marcus Aquilius Regulus was a Roman senator, and notorious ''delator'' or informer who was active during the reigns of Nero and Domitian. Regulus is one of the best known examples of this occupation, in the words of Steven Rutledge, due to "the viv ...

.Morgan, Gwyn, ''69 A.D.: The Year Of Four Emperors'' (Oxford: University Press, 2006), p. 283 She has not yet been identified.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vipstanus Messalla Gallus, Gaius Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Asia Year of death unknown Messalla Gallus Messalla Gallus 10s BC births