Publius Plautius Rufus flourished during the first century, during the
Principate
The Principate is the name sometimes given to the first period of the Roman Empire from the beginning of the reign of Augustus in 27 BC to the end of the Crisis of the Third Century in AD 284, after which it evolved into the so-called Dominate.
...
of
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 ...
.
Biography
Possibly the son of twice-praetor Gaius Plautius Rufus, Publius Plautius Rufus is mentioned in connection with two conspiracies in the ancient histories.
In the year
AD 6
6 was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lepidus and Lucius Arruntius (or, less frequently, year 759 ''Ab urbe condita ...
,
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 ...
writes that, due to the discontent of the people due to fire, famine and the new military tax, a pamphletting campaign was launched in the city. This was traceable to 'Publius Rufus,' though it was soon found that others were using his name falsely and seditiously, and Plautius was found to be not guilty of the crime. Then, in the year
AD 8
AD 8 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Camillus and Quinctilianus (or, less frequently, 761 Ab urbe condita). The ...
, Suetonius writes of a further, non-specific conspiracy which was said to involve 'Plautius Rufus' and
Lucius Aemilius Paullus (consul 1)
Lucius Aemilius Paullus (born before 29 BC14 AD) was the son of Paullus Aemilius Lepidus (suffect consul 34 BC and later censor) and Cornelia, the elder daughter of Scribonia. He was married to Julia the Younger, the eldest granddaughter of th ...
, husband of Augustus' granddaughter,
Julia the Younger. Plautius Rufus' name is thus restored by combining these two mentions.
However, there is no scholarly agreement that these two incidents, nor these two names, are related. Alternative theories have been posited: it is possible that his name should be rendered Plotius Rufus, the triumvir monetalis in BC 16-15 or that these two incidents may refer to two different men. The modern historian Birch speculates that Plautius Rufus may have been closely linked with
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 ...
and may have been the man who was deprived of a consulship in AD 5 due to his links with
Julia the Younger.
[R.A Birch, Classical Quarterly, Vol31, 1981.]
References
Sources
* Suetonius, ''Life of Divus Augustus''.
* Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'', Book 55.
* ''Prosopographia Imperii Romani'', p. 516.
* ''The Augustan Succession: An Historical Commentary on Cassius Dio's Roman History'', Peter Michael Swan, 2004.
* Oxford commentary to ''Suetonius' Life of the Divus Augustus'', 2014.
* Birch,''The Settlement of 26 June a.d. 4 and Its Aftermath.'' Classical Quarterly, 1981, Vol 2.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plautius Rufus, Publius
1st-century BC births
1st-century deaths
1st-century BC Romans
1st-century Romans
Plautii