Marcus Aurelius Cotta Maximus Messalinus (flourished second half of 1st century BC and first half of 1st century AD) was a

Roman Senator The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

who was a friend of the first two Roman emperors

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 Pri ...

and

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 ...

.Pettinger, ''The Republic in Danger: Drusus Libo and the Succession of Tiberius'', p. 39

Family background

Maximus was born and raised in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. His birth date is unknown; however, it is not earlier than 24 BC, and possibly in 14 BC.Ovid: Poems from Exile, entry of Cotta Maximus
/ref> His father was the literary patron

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'', ...

, suffect consul in 31 BC.Paterculus, ''The Roman History'', p. 127 Maximus was the son born to Corvinus’ second marriage to his unknown wife. The writings of 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 ...

(Book EIV.XVI:1-52) reveals that his mother was a Roman noblewoman called Aurelia Cotta. Further evidence that Aurelia Cotta was his mother was that, although he was born into the

gens Valeria 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 th ...

, he was later adopted into the

Aurelii Cottae The gens Aurelia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome, which flourished from the third century BC to the latest period of the Empire. The first of the Aurelian gens to obtain the consulship was Gaius Aurelius Cotta in 252 BC. From then to ...

.Skidmore, ''Practical Ethics for Roman Gentlemen: The Works of Valerius Maximus'', p. 116 His birth name is unknown, and so he is only known by his adopted name. From his father's previous marriage, Maximus had an older paternal half-sibling:

Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus (also spelled as Messalinus,Gagarin, ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome: Academy Bible'', p.131 c. 36 BC – after AD 21) was a Roman senator who was elected consul for 3 BC. Early life Messa ...

, who served as a consul in 3 BC. He also had a full sister, Valeria Messalina, who married

Titus Statilius Taurus Titus Statilius Taurus was the name of a line of Roman senators. The first known and most important of these was a Roman general and two-time consul prominent during the Triumviral and Augustan periods. The other men who bore this name were hi ...

, consul in AD 11, and Maximus was the great-uncle of

Lollia Paulina Lollia Paulina, also known as Lollia Paullina Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

and a relation to Statilia Messalina, the third wife of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

, consul in 58, may have been his son.

Ovid

Maximus was a friendGardner, ''The Roman Household: A Sourcebook'', p. 40 and patron of the poet

. He was one of the people to whom Ovid had addressed various letters which have survived to the present. Maximus was with Ovid in the year 8, when news arrived of Ovid's banishment.Pettinger, ''The Republic in Danger: Drusus Libo and the Succession of Tiberius'', pp.38-9 Maximus afterwards provided material, psychological, and possibly financial support to his friend. Although his friendship with Augustus didn't affect Ovid's banishment, Ovid believed as late as 11 that Maximus could successfully intercede with the

Princeps ''Princeps'' (plural: ''principes'') is a Latin word meaning "first in time or order; the first, foremost, chief, the most eminent, distinguished, or noble; the first man, first person". As a title, ''princeps'' originated in the Roman Republic w ...

Political career

Maximus was a leading public figure throughout the reign of Tiberius and until at least 32, remained close to the emperor. After the trial and execution 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 ...

Drusus in 16, Maximus in the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

proposed that the bust of Drusus should be barred from his descendants' funeral-parades. This proposal was politically significant, as the history of this particular punishment shows that Maximus held Drusus to be an enemy of the Roman people - ''hostes populi Romani''. Maximus probably anticipated Tiberius’ approval. A prominent noble allied to the government would not knowingly exasperate the

. He became consul in 20. During his consulship, Maximus would ask the Roman Senate to speak first, for, when the emperor presided, it was custom to include officials among those called upon for their views. According to a Greek inscription found at

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in t ...

, sometime after his consulship, Maximus became 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 ...

. The inscription which honours Maximus, is dedicated to him by Alexander son of Memnonos, to whom Maximus was both friend and benefactor. The inscription is dated from 25/26. The Greek inscription reads: :Μἄρκον Αύρήλιον :Κότταν Μάξιμον :Μεσσαλείνον τον :γενόμενον άνθύ- :πατον Άλέξαν- :δρος Μέμνονος τόν :έαυτοῦ φίλον καί εύ- :εργέτην In 32, Tiberius successfully defended Maximus when prosecuted for accusing

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

of homosexuality, ridiculing a banquet held to Tiberius’ late mother as a funeral feast, and boasting of Tiberius’ protection when he went to law.

Reputation

Maximus was a poet and orator whom Tacitus condemns for his extravagant life-style, his shameful behavior and servility.

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

describes him as an extravagant gourmet.

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 ...

represents him as a patron of the arts. One of Maximus' freedmen, Marcus Aurelius Zosimus, was buried on the

Appian Way The Appian Way (Latin and Italian language, Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient Roman Republic, republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is ...

outside of Rome with his wife, Aurelia Saturnia.Gardner, ''The Roman Household: A Sourcebook'', pp. 40-1 His epitaph is one of the few Roman funeral inscriptions that expresses patron-freedman relations in poetic terms. Below is a copy of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

inscription and an English translation: : M. Aurelius Cottae Maximi : Zosimus, accensus patroni. : Libertinus eram, fateor: sed facta legetur : patrono Cotta nobilis umbra mea. : Qui mihi saepe libens census donavit equestris : qui iussit natos tollere quos aleret : quique suas commisit opes mihi semper, et idem : dotavit natas ut pater ipse meas, : Cottanumque meum produxit honore tribuni : quem fortis castris Caesaris emeruit. : Quid non Cotta dedit? qui nune et carmina tristis : haec dedit in tumulo conspicienda meo. : Aurelia Saturnia, Zosimi. : I admit that I was a freedman; but now my shadow has been ennobled by my patron Cotta. Several times he was willing to grant me an equestrian fortune, he ordered me to let my children live so that he could provide for their upkeep. He was always ready to grant me his own wealth. He also gave my daughters the dowries a father provides. He promoted my son Cottanus to the rank of tribune in which he bravely served in Caesar’s army. What did Cotta not give us? Now, sadly, he provided these verses which can be read on my tomb. : Aurelia Saturnia, Zosimus’s ife

References

Sources

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

, ''

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 ...

'' *C. Skidmore, ''Practical Ethics for Roman Gentlemen: The Works of Valerius Maximus'', University of Exeter Press, 1996 *Velleius Paterculus – Translated with Introduction and Notes by J.C. Yardley & A.A. Barrett, The Roman History, Hackett Publishing, 2011 *A. Pettinger, ''The Republic in Danger: Drusus Libo and the Succession of Tiberius'', Oxford University Press, 2012 *J.F. Gardner & T. Wiedemann, ''The Roman Household: A Sourcebook'' (Google eBook), Routledge, 2013
Ovid: Poems from ExileGreek Inscription of Marcus Aurelius Cotta Maximus Messalinus

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aurelius Cotta Maximus Messalinus, Marcus Imperial Roman consuls Senators of the Roman Empire Roman governors of Asia 1st-century BC Romans 1st-century Romans Ovid Maximus Messalinus, Marcus Maximus Messalinus, Marcus Aurelius Cotta Ancient Roman adoptees