Nicomachus Flavianus ( 382–432), sometimes referred to as Flavianus the Younger, was a

grammarian Grammarian may refer to: * Alexandrine grammarians, philologists and textual scholars in Hellenistic Alexandria in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE * Biblical grammarians, scholars who study the Bible and the Hebrew language * Grammarian (Greco-Roman ...

and a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

. He was the son of

Virius Nicomachus Flavianus Virius Nicomachus Flavianus (334–394 AD) was a grammarian, a historian and a politician of the Roman Empire. A pagan and close friend of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, he was Praetorian prefect of Italy in 390–392. Under the usurper Eugenius (3 ...

. He held several offices under emperors

Valentinian II Valentinian II ( la, Valentinianus; 37115 May 392) was a Roman emperor in the western part of the Roman empire between AD 375 and 392. He was at first junior co-ruler of his brother, was then sidelined by a usurper, and only after 388 sole rul ...

(371–392),

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...

(379–395), Honorius (393–423), and

Valentinian III Valentinian III ( la, Placidus Valentinianus; 2 July 41916 March 455) was Roman emperor in the West from 425 to 455. Made emperor in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by powerful generals vying ...

(425–455); together with his father he supported the usurper

Eugenius Eugenius (died 6 September 394) was a usurper in the Western Roman Empire (392–394) against Emperor Theodosius I. While Christian himself, Eugenius capitalized on the discontent in the West caused by Theodosius' religious policies targeting p ...

until his defeat and death (392–394). Flavianus also edited a corrected version of

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

's work.

Biography

Flavianus belonged to the ''Nicomachi'', an influential family of senatorial rank. His father was the pagan politician and historian

, CIL, VI, 1783 and he had a brother. He married a daughter (who some sources say was called Galla and other sources say is unnamed) of

Quintus Aurelius Symmachus Quintus Aurelius Symmachus signo Eusebius (, ; c. 345 – 402) was a Roman statesman, orator, and man of letters. He held the offices of governor of proconsular Africa in 373, urban prefect of Rome in 384 and 385, and consul in 391. Symmachus ...

, from whom he received over 80 letters, and whose family had a long-time friendship and alliance with the ''Nicomachi''. It may have been in occasion of Flavianus' wedding that the "Nicomachorum-Symmachorum" diptych was produced. Alternatively, it may have been produced on the occasion of the wedding of Galla, daughter of Nicomachus Flavianus and his unnamed wife, with the son of Symmachus. As was traditional for his family, he was patron of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

;D 8985. and, sharing a common interest in his family, he edited works of pagan authors of the Roman literature: in particular, around 408 he produced a corrected edition of the first ten books of the ''

Ab Urbe condita ''Ab urbe condita'' ( 'from the founding of the City'), or ''anno urbis conditae'' (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is an ex ...

'' of

, while he was staying near Enna (he had estates in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

). His edition had been corrected by Victorinus before him, then bought by Symmachus, and finally, after Flavianus' edition, emended another time by his nephew Appius Nicomachus Dexter; all of the manuscripts of the first ten books of Livy's ''Ab Urbe condita'' that were subsequently copied through the Middle Ages into modern times are derived by this single manuscript, thanks to whom those books have survived. His political career is reported on an inscription ( CIL, VI, 1783). His first office was '' consularis Campaniae'', that is governor of the region of

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

, a position held at a date unknown, but before the following office, the one of ''

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 ' ...

Asiae'' (382–383), governor of

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. His father delayed his departure for his province; in this office he was the addressee of some laws later included in the ''

Codex Theodosianus The ''Codex Theodosianus'' (Eng. Theodosian Code) was a compilation of the laws of the Roman Empire under the Christian emperors since 312. A commission was established by Emperor Theodosius II and his co-emperor Valentinian III on 26 March 42 ...

'', while Himerius dedicated in his honour three orations. He clubbed a decurion, and for this reason was dismissed from his office, taking a ship to go home. He was later recalled at court by

, when the emperor was in Italy (389/391), but he did not receive any office. After the death of

usurped the throne of the Western part of the empire; both father and son sided with the usurper, and Flavianus ''iunior'' became ''

praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, a ...

'' of

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 ...

. After the defeat and death of Eugenius at the

battle of the Frigidus The Battle of the Frigidus, also called the Battle of the Frigid River, was fought between 5 and 6 September 394 between the army of the Roman emperor Theodosius the Great and the army of the rebel ''augustus'' Eugenius (), in the eastern bor ...

(September 394), Flavianus ''senior'' committed suicide, while Flavianus ''iunior'' received no harm from his support to the usurper, apart having to repay his father's wages as

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...

. He received several letters from his father-in-law

, a close and influential friend of his father, to suggest him to take part to the senatorial delegation to the emperor (397), in order to rehabilitate himself, but it is probable he did not follow Symmachus' suggestions. However he was invited in late 398 to the celebrations for the inauguration of the Emperor as

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 ...

for 399. He was twice appointed ''

'' of

, first between 399 and 400 and then again in 408.''Codex Theodosianus'', ii.15.2. The total number of prefectures was officially two, as the office held under Eugenius was not recognized, but one inscription refers vaguely to the number of terms, and on his edition of Livius' work there is a note referring to three prefectures. In 414 was sent to Africa together with Caecilianus to investigate a matter.''Codex Theodosianus'', xi.1.36, vi.23.3. In 431–432 he was

of Italia, Illyricum and Africa.

Notes

Bibliography

;Primary sources *

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...

, ''Civitas Dei'' * ''

'' * Himerius, ''Orationes'' *

Libanius Libanius ( grc-gre, Λιβάνιος, Libanios; ) was a teacher of rhetoric of the Sophist school in the Eastern Roman Empire. His prolific writings make him one of the best documented teachers of higher education in the ancient world and a criti ...

, ''Orationes'' *

, ''Epistulae'' ;Secondary sources * Arnold Hugh Martin Jones, John Robert Martindale, J. Morris, "Nicomachus Flavianus 14", ''

The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire ''Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'' (abbreviated as ''PLRE'') is a work of Roman prosopography published in a set of three volumes collectively describing many of the people attested to have lived in the Roman Empire from AD 260, the date ...

'', Cambridge University Press, 1971, , pp. 345–346. * James J. O’Donnell, "The Career of Virius Nicomachus Flavianus". In: ''Phoenix''. Vol. 32, 1978, pp. 129–143
online
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Flavianus, Nicomachus 4th-century Romans 5th-century Latin writers 5th-century Romans Correspondents of Symmachus Late-Roman-era pagans Urban prefects of Rome Virii