Paullus Fabius Maximus (died AD 14) 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, active toward the end of the first century BC. 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 11 BC as the colleague of Quintus Aelius Tubero, and a confidant of emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

Background

The

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 ...

Fabii were one of the most ancient and illustrious families of Rome, but by the Late Republic their status had begun to wane.

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 ...

notes that the Fabii had "missed a generation in the consulate." Fabius was the elder son of Quintus Fabius Maximus, one of

Caesar's Caesar's is a restaurant on Avenida Revolución in Tijuana, Mexico, famous as the home of the Caesar salad. Restaurateur Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant, opened the restaurant in 1923, and it is now under chef Javier Plascencia, leading ...

legates during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, whom Caesar appointed consul ''suffectus'' on October 1, 45 BC.Syme, ''Augustan Aristocracy'' (1989), p. 403. He was named after his ancestor,

Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus (c. 229 – 160 BC) was a two-time consul of the Roman Republic and a general who conquered Macedon, putting an end to the Antigonid dynasty in the Third Macedonian War. Family Paullus' father was Luciu ...

. The elder Fabius died on the last day of his consulship, December 31, leaving Paullus, his younger brother, Africanus Fabius Maximus, and a sister, Fabia Paullina.

Political career

Fabius' first known post was that of quaestor, in which capacity he served under

during the emperor's travels through the eastern provinces from 22 to 19 BC. After his consulship, Fabius served as

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 are ...

; the exact period of his administration is uncertain, with some sources favouring 10 to 8 BC, and others as 6 to 5. During this time, he minted a number of coins bearing his image. In 3 BC, Fabius was ''

legatus Augusti pro praetore A ''legatus Augusti pro praetore'' (literally: "envoy of the emperor – acting for the praetor") was the official title of the governor or general of some Imperial provincess of the Roman Empire during the Principate era, normally the larger ones ...

'' or governor of Hispania Tarraconensis. While there, Paullus captured a Celtic city and named it ''Lucus Augusti'', the modern city of Lugo. During Fabius' administration of Asia, the provincial council decreed a competition to find a unique honour for the emperor. The winner was to receive a crown from the province. The proconsul himself submitted the winning proposal: a new calendar for the province, wherein the new year would start on September 23, Augustus' birthday. He was honored with a monument built by some grateful colonists in his memory on the top of the sacred hill of Monte Giove, in the territory of

Hatria Picena Atri ( ; Latin: Adria, Atria, Hadria, or Hatria) is a ''comune'' in the Province of Teramo in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Atri is the setting of the poem '' The Bell of Atri'' by American writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Its name is the origin o ...

, where there was a sanctuary.

Personal life

At some time between 20 and 10 BC, Fabius married Marcia, daughter of Lucius Marcius Philippus, consul ''suffectus'' in 38 BC. Her mother, Atia, was an aunt of Augustus, making Marcia the emperor's cousin. They had at least one son, Paullus Fabius Persicus, who was probably born in 2 or 1 BC. The younger Fabius was consul in AD 34, with

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 ...

, father of the emperor Aulus Vitellius.Syme, ''Augustan Aristocracy'', p. 416. The elder Fabius and Marcia may also have been the parents of Fabia Numantina, although she may have been the daughter of Paullus' brother, Africanus. Fabius was a member of the Arval Brethren, an ancient college of priests that had dwindled into obscurity before Augustus chose to revive its importance as a means of demonstrating his piety and devotion to Roman traditions. Fabius was later succeeded in this priestly office by his son. The poet

Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the '' Satires''. The details of Juvenal's life ...

described Fabius as a generous patron of poetry. He was named in one of Horace's poems, written in 13 BC, and one of Horace's odes hints at him. Fabius was also the recipient of a wedding song composed by

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 ...

. While in exile Ovid wrote to Paullus, soliciting his help in allowing Ovid to return. Writing many years later, the historian

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 ...

reported that Fabius had accompanied the emperor on a secret visit to the emperor's last surviving grandson,

Agrippa Postumus Marcus Agrippa Postumus (12 BC – AD 14),: "The elder Agrippa died, in the summer of 12 BC, while Julia was pregnant with their fifth child. The boy was very likely born sometime after June 26 of the following year. When his grandfather adopted ...

, in AD 13. Postumus had been exiled in AD 9, perhaps at the instigation of his stepmother, the empress

Livia Drusilla Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14. Livia was the ...

. According to Tacitus, Augustus and his grandson were reconciled, although the latter was not recalled from exile before the emperor's death in AD 14. Supposedly, Fabius discussed the visit with his wife, who informed the empress. Tacitus reported that Fabius' death in the summer of AD 14 was said to be either directly or indirectly the result of Augustus' anger at this betrayal of trust. Ovid, too, suspected that his death might have been the result of Augustus' anger. However, both the truth and accuracy of this story have been questioned by modern historians.Syme, ''Augustan Aristocracy'' (1989), p. 414.

Footnotes

References

* Syme, Ronald; ''Augustan Aristocracy'' (Oxford University Press, 1989) * Toynbee, Jocelyn M.C; ''Roman Historical Portraits'' (Cornell University Press, 1978) * Friesen, Steven J.; ''Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John'' (Oxford University Press US, 2001) *

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum The ''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (''CIL'') is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw ...

* Inscriptiones Graecae (IG) * ''

Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae ''Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae'', standard abbreviation ''ILS'', is a three-volume selection of Latin inscriptions edited by Hermann Dessau. The work was published in five parts serially from 1892 to 1916, with numerous reprints. Supporting mat ...

'' (ILS), (Berlin 1892–1916) * L'Année Epigraphique (AE)

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