Lucius Pomponius Flaccus (died 33) 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 lette ...

senator, who held a number of imperial appointments during the reign of

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 ...

. He was

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 throu ...

in AD 17 with

Gaius Caelius Rufus The gens Caelia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. The nomen ''Caelius'' is frequently confounded with '' Coelius'' and '' Caecilius'', with some individuals referred to as ''Caelius'' in manuscripts, while appearing as ''Coelius'' or ''Coili ...

as his colleague. Flaccus was the brother of Gaius Pomponius Graecinus, consul the year before in 16. Either he or his brother may have married

Vistilia Vistilia was a Roman matron of the gens Vistilia known by her contemporaries for having seven children by six different husbands; Pliny the Elder was more impressed by the fact most of her pregnancies were remarkably brief. Five of her sons became ...

, mother of

Milonia Caesonia Milonia Caesonia (died AD 41) was Roman empress as the fourth and last wife of the emperor Caligula from their marriage in AD 39 until they were both assassinated in 41. Life Early life The daughter of Vistilia, Milonia was born toward the beg ...

, the wife of Caligula, and had two sons:

Publius Pomponius Secundus Publius Pomponius Secundus was a distinguished statesman and poet in the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius. He was suffect consul for the '' nundinium'' of January to June 44, succeeding the ordinary consul Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passi ...

and

Quintus Pomponius Secundus Quintus Pomponius Secundus was a Roman aristocrat of the first century, and consul ''suffectus'' in AD 41 as the colleague of Gnaeus Sentius Saturninus.Gallivan, "The Fasti for the Reign of Claudius", pp. 407, 424. His brother was the poet and s ...

Life

The earliest mention of Flaccus was by the poet

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

, who addressed one of the earliest poems from ''

Epistulae ex Ponto ''Epistulae ex Ponto'' (''Letters from the Black Sea'') is a work of Ovid, in four books. It is a collection of letters describing Ovid's exile in Tomis (modern-day Constanța) written in elegiac couplets and addressed to his wife and friends. T ...

'' to Flaccus;

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 ...

dates the first three books of ''Ex Ponto'' "before the autumn of 13". More information about Flaccus comes from a poem Ovid addressed to his brother Graecinus: Syme uses the evidence of that poem to argue that Flaccus was ''

legatus A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer ...

'' or assistant from either the year 11 or 12 to Gaius Poppaeus Sabinus, then governor of Moesia. He is mentioned several times by

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

in his ''

Annales Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts. List of works with titles contai ...

''. The first time is in the year 16, after the successful prosecution of

Marcus Scribonius Libo Marcus Scribonius Libo Drusus (died 13 September 16) was a Roman accused of treason against the emperor Tiberius. Biography Early life He was likely the son or paternal grandson of Marcus Livius Drusus Libo (adopted brother of empress Livia). I ...

for treason and his subsequent suicide. Flaccus made the motion in the Senate that days of public thanksgiving be appointed to commemorate the quashing of this act of treason. The following year Flaccus was appointed governor of the

imperial province An imperial province was a Roman province during the Principate where the Roman Emperor had the sole right to appoint the governor (''legatus Augusti pro praetore''). These provinces were often the strategically located border provinces. The pro ...

of Moesia. There, according to Syme, he demonstrated his diplomatic craft. Flaccus outwitted Rhescuporis, king of

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

, who had slain his nephew Cotys III and seized his lands. Flaccus convinced Rhescuporis to leave his kingdom and enter Roman territory; there he was surrounded by what was first described to him as an "honor guard", but was soon revealed a detail of soldiers to hold him prisoner. Rhescuporis was escorted to Rome where he was tried for the murder of his nephew. His tenure as governor of Syria, from the year 32 to 33, although brief, is the best documented portion of his life. According to Suetonius, Flaccus and Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus joined the emperor Tiberius in a combined feast and drinking bout that lasted two entire days and the intervening night. At the conclusion of this debauchery, Tiberius appointed Flaccus governor of Syria and Piso Urban Prefect. While governor, Flaccus provided sanctuary to

Herod Agrippa Herod Agrippa (Roman name Marcus Julius Agrippa; born around 11–10 BC – in Caesarea), also known as Herod II or Agrippa I (), was a grandson of Herod the Great and King of Judea from AD 41 to 44. He was the father of Herod Agrippa II, th ...

, who had been driven out of the

Tetrarchy The Tetrarchy was the system instituted by Roman emperor Diocletian in 293 AD to govern the ancient Roman Empire by dividing it between two emperors, the ''augusti'', and their juniors colleagues and designated successors, the '' caesares'' ...

by king Herod Antipas. Tacitus notes in passing his death in office the following year.Tacitus, ''Annales'', VI.27

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pomponius Flaccus 1st-century Romans 1st-century Roman governors of Syria Roman governors of Moesia Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Syria Pomponii 33 deaths Year of birth unknown