Marcus Valerius Messalla Appianus (also known as Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus Appianus;Lightman, ''A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women'', p. 205 c. 45 BC – 12 BC) was a

Roman Senator The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

during the reign of

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 Pr ...

. He was ordinary consul in 12 BC with

Publius Sulpicius Quirinius Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (c. 51 BC – AD 21), also translated as Cyrenius, was a Roman aristocrat. After the banishment of the ethnarch Herod Archelaus from the tetrarchy of Judea in AD 6, Quirinius was appointed legate governor of Syria, t ...

as his colleague.

Family background

Not much is known about his family background and early life. Appianus may have been the son of Appius Claudius Pulcher consul of 38 BCSyme, ''The Augustan Aristocracy'', p. 147 by an unnamed wife. He was probably adopted by Marcus Valerius Messalla, suffect consul 32 BC, thus becoming Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus Appianus.

Political career

According to the French historian Fr. François Catrou et Rouillé, Appianus served as a

quaestor A ( , , ; "investigator") was a public official in Ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officials who ...

in the army of the Roman Triumvir

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

. After this, little is known about his remaining political career beyond his consulship in 12 BC. He died not long afterwards.

Marriage and issue

About 14 BC, Appianus married

Claudia Marcella Minor Claudia Marcella Minor (''PIR2'' C 1103, born some time before 39 BC) was a niece of the first Roman emperor Augustus. She was the second surviving daughter of the emperor's sister Octavia the Younger and her first husband Gaius Claudius Marcellu ...

, a daughter of

Octavia the Younger Octavia the Younger ( la, Octavia Minor; c. 66 BC – 11 BC) was the elder sister of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus (known also as Octavian), the half-sister of Octavia the Elder, and the fourth wife of Mark Antony. She was also the great-gra ...

; Claudia Marcella Minor's maternal uncle was the Roman emperor Augustus. Marcella bore Appianus two children, a daughter Claudia Pulchra and a son

Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation ...

. Although there has been some speculation that Claudia's father might actually have been Publius Claudius Pulcher, the son of Clodius.

References

Sources

* R. Syme, The Augustan Aristocracy, Clarendon Press, 1986
UGO FUSCO – GIAN LUCA GREGORI, A PROPOSITO DEI MATRIMONI DI MARCELLA MINORE E DEL MONVMENTVM DEI SUOI SCHIAVI E LIBERTI, aus: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 111 (1996) 226–232, Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH, Bonn
* M. Lightman & B. Lightman, A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women, Infobase Publishing, 2008 * Jesuit François Catrou et Rouillé, Histoire romaine depuis la fondation de Rome usqu'a l'an 47 de J.-C. avec des notes historiques, géographiques et critiques...par les RR. PP. Catrou et Rouillé de S. J. T. 01-20 (histoire romaine par Bernard Rothe, ic pour RouthT. 21) {{DEFAULTSORT:Valerius Messalla Appianus, Marcus 40s BC births 12 BC deaths 1st-century BC Romans Ancient Roman adoptees Claudii Imperial Roman consuls Julio-Claudian dynasty Roman patricians Appianus, Marcus Year of birth uncertain