Popilius Pedo Apronianus (died 205) 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 active during the reign of
Septimius Severus
Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...
. He was
Roman consul
A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...
in the year 191 with
Marcus Valerius Bradua Mauricus as his colleague.
A member of 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 ...
order, Apronianus has been identified as the grandson of
Gaius Popilius Carus Pedo
Gaius Popilius Carus Pedo was a Roman senator who held several offices in the emperor's service during the second century. He was suffect consul in succession to Tiberius Licinius Cassius Cassianus as colleague of Sextus Cocceius Severianus Honor ...
, suffect consul in 147.
Apronianus is known to have been
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
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 ...
. While proconsul he was murdered on specious grounds: according to
Cassius Dio
Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...
, Arponianus' nurse reported having a dream where he had been engarbed as emperor, and it was believed Apronianus had practiced magic to achieve this. Paul Leunissen dates his tenure as proconsul to either 204/205 or 205/206. Ségolène Demougin suggests Apronianus' fatal end was connected with the fall from power of
Gaius Fulvius Plautianus
Gaius or Lucius Fulvius Plautianus (c. 150 – 22 January 205) was a member of the Roman ''gens'' Fulvia. Like Sejanus, Perennis and Cleander, as head of the Praetorian Guard, he was formally extraordinarily powerful and influential in the adm ...
, who was executed on 22 January 205; since proconsuls assumed their posts in the summer months, this would date his tenure to 204/205, and mean the
procurator
Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to:
* Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency
* ''Procurator'' (Ancient Rome), the title o ...
Aelius Aglaus served as interim governor until a successor could arrive in the province.
[Ségolène Demougin]
"Proconsuls d'Asie sous Septime Sévère, les gouverneurs de la province de 200 à 211"
''Bulletin de la Société Nationale des Antiquaires de France'', 1994 (1996), p. 329
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Apronianus, Popilius Pedo
2nd-century Romans
3rd-century Romans
205 deaths
Year of death unknown
Imperial Roman consuls
Roman governors of Asia
Pedo Apronianus