Gaius Julius Silanus 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 lett ...

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and general who held a series of offices in the emperor's service. He was suffect consul for the '' nundinium'' of January to April 92 as the colleague of Quintus Junius Arulenus Rusticus. Silanus is known solely through inscriptions.

Ronald Syme Sir Ronald Syme, (11 March 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. He was regarded as the greatest historian of ancient Rome since Theodor Mommsen and the most brilliant exponent of the history of the Roman ...

speculates Silanus came from Tres Galliae, and adds that "the ''

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

'' need have nothing to do with the aristocratic Junii Silani." He was co-opted into the

Arval Brethren In ancient Roman religion, the Arval Brethren ( la, Fratres Arvales, "Brothers of the Fields") or Arval Brothers were a body of priests who offered annual sacrifices to the Lares and gods to guarantee good harvests. Inscriptions provide evi ...

on 22 January 86 to replace the recently deceased

Gaius Vipstanus Apronianus Gaius Vipstanus Apronianus (died 91) was a Roman Senator who was '' consul ordinarius'' in AD 59 with Gaius Fonteius Capito as his colleague. Apronianus was afterwards proconsular governor of Africa; he was also a member of the Arval Brethren. Th ...

. While he was appointed ''magister'' in the year 87, he was absent from the records of the ''

sodales The vocabulary of ancient Roman religion was highly specialized. Its study affords important information about the religion, traditions and beliefs of the ancient Romans. This legacy is conspicuous in European cultural history in its influence on ...

'' for the rest of that year, and again from 89 to 91; Syme speculates Silanus was absent due to imperial appointment either to command a legion or to govern one of the eight imperial

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...

ian provinces.Syme, ''Some Arval Brethren'', p. 28

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Julius Silanus, Gaius Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Silanus 1st-century Romans