Marcus Titius Lustricus Bruttianus 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 and general of the early 2nd century AD. He was suffect consul in the ''

nundinium Nundinium was a Latin word derived from the word '' nundinum'', which referred to the cycle of days observed by the Romans. During the Roman Empire, ''nundinium'' came to mean the duration of a single consulship among several in a calendar year. S ...

'' of September to December 108 as the colleague of

Quintus Pompeius Falco Quintus Pompeius Falco (c. 70after 140 AD) was a Roman senator and general of the early 2nd century AD. He was governor of several provinces, most notably Roman Britain, where he hosted a visit to the province by the Emperor Hadrian in the last ...

. Until the discovery of an inscription bearing a list of the offices he held, all that was known about him was the year of his consulate and an anecdote forming the subject of one of Pliny the Younger's letters.

Career

His ''

cursus honorum The ''cursus honorum'' (; , or more colloquially 'ladder of offices') was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The '' ...

'' is known from an inscription found between 2011 and 2014 at Vasio (modern

Vaison-la-Romaine Vaison-la-Romaine (; oc, Vaison) is a town in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Vaison-la-Romaine is famous for its rich Roman ruins and mediaeval town and cathedral. It is also unusual in ...

) in the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis; this has led some experts to suspect this was Bruttianus' hometown. The first office Bruttianus is known to have held was as quaestor of the public province of Achaea; this inscription also states he was

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 ...

for an unknown legion, but it is uncertain whether he held that commission before or after his quaestorship. Upon completion of this traditional Republican magistracy, Bruttianus would have been enrolled in the Senate. Two more of the traditional Republican magistracies followed:

aedile ''Aedile'' ( ; la, aedīlis , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to ...

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 ...

. He is also attested as having been appointed ''

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 ...

ar governor of

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 ...

. After stepping down from the praetorship, he was twice ''

legatus legionis 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 office ...

'' or commander of two legions. This was an unusual arrangement, and Anthony Birley was able to list only thirty-three men known to have commanded more than one legion -- which did not include Bruttianus. The first was

Legio I Italica Legio I Italica ("First Italian Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army founded by emperor Nero on September 22, 66 (the date is attested by an inscription). The epithet ''Italica'' is a reference to the Italian origin of its first r ...

, which served in

Trajan's Dacian Wars The Dacian Wars (101–102, 105–106) were two military campaigns fought between the Roman Empire and Dacia during Emperor Trajan's rule. The conflicts were triggered by the constant Dacian threat on the Danubian province of Moesia and also b ...

. During his command, Bruttianus demonstrated heroism which resulted in the award of ''

dona militaria As with most other military forces the Roman military adopted an extensive list of decorations for military gallantry and likewise a range of punishments for military transgressions. Decorations, awards and victory titles Crowns *Grass crown � ...

'' by the emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

. The second is reported to be Legio X Augustae. Bruttianus was also governor of two provinces: Achaea where he had been quaestor, and the imperial province of

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...

. Pliny's letter that recounts an event in Bruttianus' life has been dated around the years 106–7, which was prior to his consulate. He caught a close friend, Montanius Atticinus, engaging in criminal activity and reported it by letter to Trajan; Atticinus responded by making an accusation against Bruttianus. According to Pliny, who was a '' juridicus'' at the hearing, Bruttianus presented his will, which was written in Atticinus' handwriting, as proof that they were intimate friends, then presented clear evidence of the other's crimes, which apparently involved tampering with legal documents and the subversion of a clerk's slave. Trajan ruled against Atticinus, and banished him to an island. Pliny notes that Bruttianus' reputation for honesty was strengthened and his fame increased.'' Epistulae'', VI.22 The inscription attests to a number of offices Bruttianus held after his consulate. He was general of the army in Germania Superior and Inferior, then admitted to the ''

Septemviri epulonum The (Latin for "feasters"; sing. ''epulo'') arranged feasts and public banquets at festivals and games ''( ludi)''. They constituted one of the four great religious corporations (''quattuor amplissima collegia'') of ancient Roman priests. Esta ...

'', one of the four most prestigious ancient Roman priesthoods, and finally was commander of the army in

Roman Judea Judaea ( la, Iudaea ; grc, Ἰουδαία, translit=Ioudaíā ) was a Roman province which incorporated the regions of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea from 6 CE, extending over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms o ...

and

Roman Arabia Arabia Petraea or Petrea, also known as Rome's Arabian Province ( la, Provincia Arabia; ar, العربية البترائية; grc, Ἐπαρχία Πετραίας Ἀραβίας) or simply Arabia, was a frontier province of the Roman Empi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Titius Lustricus Bruttianus, Marcus 2nd-century Romans Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Achaia Roman governors of Cilicia Epulones of the Roman Empire Lustricus Bruttianus