Marcus Junius D. f. M. n. 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 lette ...

senator and

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 25 BC as the colleague of

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus 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 Pr ...

, the emperor Augustus.

Biography

Silanus was a descendant of the noble Roman house of the

Junii Silani The gens Junia was one of the most celebrated families of ancient Rome. The gens may originally have been patrician, and was already prominent in the last days of the Roman monarchy. Lucius Junius Brutus was the nephew of Lucius Tarquinius ...

. He was probably the son of Decimus Junius Silanus, consul in 62 BC, (thus the grandson of Marcus Junius Silanus, consul in 109 BC.) and Servilia, mistress of

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, ...

, (thus the half brother of Brutus the Younger, full brother of

Junia Prima Servilia ( 101 BC – after 42 BC) was a Roman matron from a distinguished family, the Servilii Caepiones. She was the daughter of Quintus Servilius Caepio (quaestor 103 BC), Quintus Servilius Caepio and Livia (mother of Cato the Younger), Livia ...

, Junia Secunda and

Junia Tertia Junia Tertia, also called Tertulla, (c. 75 BC – 22 AD) was the third daughter of Servilia and her second husband Decimus Junius Silanus, and later the wife of Gaius Cassius Longinus. Biography Early life Through her mother she was the younger ...

and the brother-in-law of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, the triumvir, trough Secunda. Silanus was possibly the same man who served as one of

legates A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the office ...

in 53 BC. He supported his brother-in-law Lepidus in 44 BC after Caesar's murder, accompanying Lepidus over the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

. The following year, Lepidus sent him with a detachment of troops to join Marcus Antonius at Mutina, but refused to accept responsibility for the help which Silanus gave. After falling out of favor with the

triumvirs A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

, in 39 he fled to

Sextus Pompeius Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius ( 67 – 35 BC), also known in English as Sextus Pompey, was a Roman military leader who, throughout his life, upheld the cause of his father, Pompey the Great, against Julius Caesar and his supporters during the las ...

. He was able to return to Antonius's service under the terms of the

Pact of Misenum The Pact of Misenum was a treaty to end the naval blockade of the Italian Peninsula during the Sicilian revolt. The pact was signed in 39 BC between Sextus Pompeius and the members of the Second Triumvirate – specifically, Mark Antony and Gai ...

. A Silanus later served under Antonius in Achaea and Macedonia from 34 to 32, with the title of '' Quaestor pro consule'' or perhaps ''

Proquaestor In ancient Rome a promagistrate ( la, pro magistratu) was an ex-consul or ex-praetor whose ''imperium'' (the power to command an army) was extended at the end of his annual term of office or later. They were called proconsuls and propraetors. Thi ...

''. Although the inscription in Achaea names a Silanus whose parents were named Marcus and Sempronia. Around this time he was also elected as an Augur. Before the

Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between a maritime fleet of Octavian led by Marcus Agrippa and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII Philopator. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, ...

, Silanus went over to Octavianus. The future emperor raised him to the Patriciate in 30 BC, and they held the consulship together in 25. Marcus may have married a woman named Manlia from the Manlii Torquati, based on his descendants names. Silanus' grandson,

Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus was a Roman senator. He was consul in AD 19, with Lucius Norbanus Balbus as his colleague. Biography Silanus was a descendant of the noble Roman house of the Junii Silani. His grandfather was Marcus Junius Silanu ...

, was consul in AD 19, and married a great-granddaughter of Augustus.''

Oxford Classical Dictionary The ''Oxford Classical Dictionary'' (''OCD'') is generally considered "the best one-volume dictionary on antiquity," an encyclopædic work in English consisting of articles relating to classical antiquity and its civilizations. It was first pub ...

'', 2nd Ed. (1970).

Notes

References

Sources

* T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, Vol II'' (1952). * Syme, Ronald, ''The Roman Revolution'', Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1939. * Anthon, Charles & Smith, William, ''A New Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology and Geography'' (1860). {{DEFAULTSORT:Junius Silanus, Marcus consul 729 AUC 1st-century BC Roman augurs 1st-century BC Roman consuls Children of Servilia (mother of Brutus) Family of Marcus Junius Brutus Marcus consul 729 AUC

Biography

See also

Notes

References

Sources