Marcus Herennius Picens (fl. 1st century BC) 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 letter ...

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 ...

who served as suffect consul in 34 BC, replacing Gaius Memmius and occupying the office from November 1 to the end of December. Authorities give slightly different versions of his name. T.R.S. Broughton and

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 ...

refer to him simply as Marcus Herennius; however, K.M.T. Atkinson adds the cognomen ''Picens'' when she writes about him.

Biography

Herennius is a native of

Picenum Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was ''Regio V'' in the Augustan territorial organization of Roman Italy. Picenum was also ...

, which Syme notes provided several supporters for

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

, including

Publius Ventidius Publius Ventidius ( 89–38 BC) was a Roman general and one of Julius Caesar's protégés. He won key victories against the Parthians which resulted in the deaths of key leaders – victories which redeemed the losses of Crassus and paved the way ...

. Syme identifies this Herennius as the grandson of Titus Herennius, who fought against the

Romans 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 ...

during the Social War. How Herennius supported the cause of Caesar's heir

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 ...

is unclear; Syme includes his name in a list of several consuls "who have left no record of service to the rulers of Rome but, as sole and sufficient proof, the presence of their names upon the ''Fasti''." Despite this enigma, Herennius proceeded to the office of

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 ' ...

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 area ...

; although Broughton dated this to 33/32 BC, Atkinson has argued 28/27 BC better fits. Herennius was the

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of the town of

Veii Veii (also Veius; it, Veio) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the ...

. He was probably the father of Marcus Herennius Picens, suffect consul in AD 1.Broughton III, p. 101

Sources

* Broughton, T. Robert S., ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', Vol I (1951) * Broughton, T. Robert S., ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', Vol III (1986) * Syme, Ronald, ''The Roman Revolution'' (1939)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herennius Picens, Marcus 1st-century BC Roman consuls Senators of the Roman Republic Picens, Marcus Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown