Lucius Vipstanus Poplicola Messalla was a

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 ...

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 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 The gens Valeria was a patrician family at ancient Rome, prominent from the very beginning of the Republic to the latest period of the Empire. Publius Valerius Poplicola was one of the consuls in 509 BC, the year that saw the overthrow of the ...

through his father. He is identified with the subject of a fragmentary inscription recovered from

Tibur Tivoli ( , ; la, Tibur) is a town and in Lazio, central Italy, north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna. History Gaius Julius Solinu ...

.Ronald Syme
"Missing Persons III"
'' Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'', 11 (1962), p. 153 According to this inscription, Messalla's public career began with as one of the

tresviri monetalis The ''triumvir monetalis'' ( ''tresviri'' or ''triumviri monetales'', also called the , abbreviated IIIVIR A. A. A. F. F.) was a moneyer during the Roman Republic and the Empire, who oversaw the minting of coins. In that role, he would be respons ...

, the most prestigious of the four boards that comprise the ''

vigintiviri __NOTOC__The ''vigintisexviri'' ( ''vigintisexvir''; ) were a college ( ''collegium'') of minor magistrates (''magistratus minores'') in the Roman Republic. The college consisted of six boards: * the ''decemviri stlitibus judicandis'' – 1 ...

''; assignment to this board was usually allocated to patricians or favored individuals. This was followed by admission to the salii Colini; the latest recorded office Messalla held was ''quattuorvir quinquennalis gabiis'' in 140. It is unclear why Messalla did not proceed to the

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

. Some have speculated that he renounced a senatorial career, but

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 ...

believes it is more likely Messalla died before he came of age to hold the office. He may have been a '' praetor designatus'' but died before he acceded to the consulate. He married Helvidia Priscilla, born c. 115, daughter of

Publius Helvidius Priscus Publius may refer to: Roman name * Publius (praenomen) * Ancient Romans with the name: ** Publius Valerius Publicola (died 503 BC), Roman consul, co-founder of the Republic **Publius Clodius Pulcher (c. 93 BC – 52 BC), Republican politician * ...

and wife Plautia Quinctilia. It is possible they were the parents of

Lucius Valerius Messalla Thrasea Priscus Lucius Valerius Messalla Thrasea Priscus (died c. 212) was a Roman senator active during the reigns of Commodus and Septimus Severus. Life Thrasea Priscus was a member of the second century gens Valeria. It is possible he was the son of Lucius V ...

. If so, Thrasea Priscus altered his ''gentilicum'' to reflect his descent through the Vipstani from the republican Valerii.As Ronald Syme has suggested
"Missing Persons III"
'' Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'', 11, (1962), p. 155

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vipstanus Poplicola Messalla, Lucius Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 2nd-century Romans Poplicola Messalla Roman patricians Senators of the Roman Empire