Decimus Junius Novius Priscus 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 flourished under the reign of the

Flavian dynasty The Flavian dynasty ruled the Roman Empire between AD 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69–79), and his two sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96). The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known ...

. He was a

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 ...

in the year 78 with Lucius Ceionius Commodus as his colleague. According to Olli Salomies in his monograph on Roman naming practices, the form of his name as presented in the first paragraph is not attested in any of the primary sources, but is given "in all standard works"; the most common form is (D.) Novius Priscus.Salomies, ''Adoptive and polyonymous nomenclature in the Roman Empire'', (Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Fennica, 1992), pp. 94f "Junius" only appears in a consular date from Messene. Salomies notes the praenomen "Decimus" "can only be explained if one assumes that he was in fact also called Iunius; the praenomen ''Decimus'' is typical of Iunii, but otherwise rather uncommon." To this Salomies adds, "on the other hand, ''Novius'' and ''Priscus'' clearly belong together." It is possible that Junius Novius Priscus was the son of Novius Priscus, a friend of

Seneca the Younger Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger (; 65 AD), usually known mononymously as Seneca, was a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, a statesman, dramatist, and, in one work, satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature. Seneca was born in ...

and exiled from Rome for his role in the

Pisonian conspiracy The conspiracy of Gaius Calpurnius Piso in AD 65 was a in the reign of the Roman emperor Nero (reign 54–68). The plot reflected the growing discontent among the ruling class of the Roman state with Nero's increasingly despotic leadership, a ...

, and later adopted by a Decimus Priscus. The only other office the younger Novius Priscus is known to have held was governor of

Germania Inferior Germania Inferior ("Lower Germania") was a Roman province from AD 85 until the province was renamed Germania Secunda in the fourth century, on the west bank of the Rhine bordering the North Sea. The capital of the province was Colonia Agripp ...

; his tenure has been dated by

Werner Eck Werner Eck (born 17 December 1939) is Professor of Ancient History at Cologne University, Germany, and a noted expert on the history and epigraphy of imperial Rome.Eck, W. (2007) ''The Age of Augustus''. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, cover notes. Hi ...

from the year 78 to 82.Werner Eck, "Jahres- und Provinzialfasten der senatorischen Statthalter von 69/70 bis 138/139", ''

Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology ...

'', 12 (1982), pp. 300-305

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Junius Novius Priscus, Decimus 1st-century Romans Imperial Roman consuls Roman governors of Germania Inferior Novius Priscus, Decimus Priscus, Decimus Junius Novius