Lucius Dasumius Tullius Tuscus 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 was an ''amici'' or trusted advisor of the emperors

Antoninus Pius Antoninus Pius ( Latin: ''Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius''; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. Born into a senatori ...

and

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...

. He was suffect consul in the '' nundinium'' of April to June 152 AD as the colleague of Publius Sufenas. He is also known as Lucius Dasumius Tuscus and Lucius Tullius Tuscus.

Family

Olli Salomies has argued, based on the commonalities in the names, membership in the same

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

, Stellatina, and that inscriptions honoring both were dedicated by the same man, P. Tullius Callistio, that

Publius Tullius Varro Publius Tullius Varro was a Roman general and senator during the reign of Hadrian. The commander of two different legions during his career, one of his most important military roles was as commander of Legio VI Victrix during its transfer from Vet ...

, consul in 127, was Tuscus' birth father. The "Lucius Dasumius" in his name refers to his

adoptive Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

father, whom Salomies believes was "certainly related" to Publius Dasumius Rusticus, eponymous consul of 119. The origins of he and his father are considered to be the

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

town of

Tarquinia Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropoleis, or cemeteries, for which it was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status ...

, which was assigned to the Stellatina tribe. Tuscus is considered to be the father of Marcus Dasumius Tullius Varro; the name of his wife, and any other possible children, are unrecorded.

Career

The career of Tuscus is known through an inscription found in

. As a teenager, he was a member of the ''tresviri monetalis'', considered by modern scholars the most favored of the magistracies that comprised 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 ...

''. It was usually held either by

Patricians The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...

or young men favored by the Emperor.

Plebeians In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of ...

who held this office usually went on to enjoy successful careers. Evidence of this favor appears shortly afterwards: after serving a term as

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 ...

in Legio IV Flavia Felix based at

Singidunum Singidunum ( sr, Сингидунум/''Singidunum'') was an ancient city which later evolved into modern Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The name is of Celtic origin, going back to the time when Celtic tribe Scordisci settled the area in the 3r ...

, Tuscus served as quaestor to the emperor Antoninus Pius, then 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 to 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 ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. These latter two assignments provided him with potential for visibility and introductions to influential people. After holding the Republican magistracies of

plebeian tribune Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune ( la, tribunus plebis) was the first office of the Roman state that was open to the plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most important check on the power o ...

and

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...

, Tuscus was prefect of the '' aerarium Saturni'' (c. 147-c. 150). While suffect consul he was governor of Germania Superior (c. 152-c. 158) and his term as '' curator operum publicorum'' possibly was also simultaneous. His last known office was governor of

Pannonia Superior Pannonia Superior, lit. Upper Pannonia, was a province of the Roman Empire. Its capital was Carnuntum. It was one on the border provinces on the Danube. It was formed in the year 103 AD by Emperor Trajan who divided the former province of Pan ...

during the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, as the successor of Marcus Nonius Macrinus and predecessor of Marcus Iallius Bassus.Alföldy suggests the dates of c. 162-c. 166 (''Konsulat und Senatorenstand'', p. 237) The inscription from Tarquinia also attests that he was a member of the ''

sodales Hadrianales The vocabulary of ancient Roman religion was highly specialized. Its study affords important information about the religion, traditions and beliefs of the ancient Romans. This legacy is conspicuous in European cultural history in its influence o ...

'' and '' sodali Antoniniani'' (the latter most likely after the emperor's death), as well as holding the prestigious sacral office of augur.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasumius Tullius Tuscus, Lucius 2nd-century Romans Tullius Tuscus Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Germania Superior Roman governors of Pannonia Superior Augurs of the Roman Empire Ancient Roman adoptees