Quintus Pompeius Sosius Falco (flourished 190s) 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 Commodus. He was '' consul ordinarius'' in 193 with

Gaius Julius Erucius Clarus Vibianus Gaius Julius Erucius Clarus Vibianus (died 197 CE) was a Roman politician and senator. He was '' consul ordinarius'' with Quintus Pompeius Sosius Falco in early 193, during the reign of Pertinax. Life Vibianus came from an Italian family or from ...

as his colleague. Falco was the son of Quintus Pompeius Senecio Sosius Priscus, a

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 ...

and consul in 149;

Edward Champlin Edward Champlin is a Professor of Classics, Cotsen Professor of Humanities, and former Master of Butler College at Princeton University. He teaches Roman history, Roman law, and Latin literature and has written several books regarding these subje ...

hypothesizes that his mother was

Ceionia Fabia Ceionia Fabia (flourished 2nd century) was a noble Roman woman and a member of the ruling Nerva–Antonine dynasty of the Roman Empire. Life Fabia was the first-born daughter to Lucius Aelius and Avidia. In 136, her father was adopted by Hadria ...

, further hypothesizing she was married to Priscus before marrying

Plautius Quintillus Plautius Quintillus (died by 175) was a Roman senator who lived in the 2nd century. Life The family of Plautius Quintillus was of consular rank and was politically active during the Nerva–Antonine dynasty in the 2nd century. Quintillus’ birth ...

. Falco's paternal ancestors include Sextus Julius Frontinus (consul in 73, again in 98, and a third time in 100) and

Quintus Sosius Senecio Quintus Sosius Senecio ( 1st century AD) was a Roman senator who was favored by the emperors Domitian and Trajan. As a result of this relationship, he was twice ordinary consul, an unusual and prestigious honor: first in 99, with Aulus Cornelius P ...

, consul in 99 and again in 107.

Life

The emperor Commodus had planned to murder both consuls and usurp their offices, intending a procession as sole consul and ''primus palus secutorum'' from the barracks of the gladiators. Knowledge of that plan, according to Dio Cassius, led to Commodus's assassination. The '' Historia Augusta'' reports that at the first meeting of the Senate for that year, Falco accused the emperor of participating in the crimes of Commodus; Pertinax, who was over sixty, replied: "Consul, you are a young man, and do not know the necessity of obedience." While the ''Historia Augusta'' often includes many fictitious details, William McDermott opines, "This clash has the sound of truth since pride in ancestry was strong within the young man's family." Immediately following Commodus' death, Sosius Falco was offered the imperial throne by the

Praetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard (Latin: ''cohortēs praetōriae'') was a unit of the Imperial Roman army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for the Roman emperors. During the Roman Republic, the Praetorian Guard were an escort fo ...

, which he declined. He is known to have attempted a coup against Pertinax; however, Pertinax spared his life. His life after Pertinax's death is unknown; McDermott opines that "Sosius Falco probably retired discreetly to one of the many family estates."

Family

The name of Falco's wife has come down to us: Sulpicia Agrippina, the sister of Sulpicius Justus and Pollio Sulpicius, a Senatorial family whose origins lay in

Lycia Lycia (Lycian language, Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; el, Λυκία, ; tr, Likya) was a state or nationality that flourished in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean ...

and extensively documented in the inscription of Licinnia Flavilla. Sulpicia and Falco are known to have one son, Quintus Pompeius Falco Sosius Priscus, attested as ''praetor designatus'' during the reigns of either

Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor S ...

Elagabalus Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus, 204 – 11/12 March 222), better known by his nickname "Elagabalus" (, ), was Roman emperor from 218 to 222, while he was still a teenager. His short reign was conspicuous for s ...

.McDermott, "Stemmata quid faciunt?", pp. 230f

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pompeius Sosius Falco, Quintus 2nd-century Romans Senators of the Roman Empire Imperial Roman consuls Falco Year of birth unknown Year of death missing 2nd-century Roman usurpers Sosius Falco, Quintus Pompeius