Quintus Baebius Macer 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 active during the second half of the first century and the first half of the second century AD. He was suffect consul for the ''

nundinium Nundinium was a Latin word derived from the word '' nundinum'', which referred to the cycle of days observed by the Romans. During the Roman Empire, ''nundinium'' came to mean the duration of a single consulship among several in a calendar year. S ...

'' April to June 103 as the colleague of

Publius Metilius Nepos Publius Metilius Nepos (c. 45 – 127 AD) was a Roman senator during the late 1st century. He is known to have been suffect consul in the '' nundinium'' of September to December 91, and was appointed Governor of Britannia by the Emperor Domi ...

, and

Urban prefect The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and ...

of Rome. He was also a patron of the poet Martial and an acquaintance of Pliny the Younger. He was the recipient of a letter from Pliny where the writings of

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

are listed, apparently in response to Macer's inquiry. Baebius Macer's career is not completely known.

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 ...

argues the date of his

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 ...

ship fell in the years 90 to 94. It is due to the poetry of Martial that we know of two of the offices he did hold: Macer was

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of the

Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, ...

around the year 95; then governor of

Hispania Baetica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of the basic di ...

, which

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 ...

dates to 100/101. After he returned from Baetica, Macer was active in the Senate as an orator. Pliny mentions two occasions where he participated in the proceedings: during the first, which was prior to his consulate, Macer proposed one punishment in the prosecution of Julius Bassus for mismanagement of the province of

Bithynia and Pontus Bithynia and Pontus ( la, Provincia Bithynia et Pontus, Ancient Greek ) was the name of a province of the Roman Empire on the Black Sea coast of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). It was formed during the late Roman Republic by the amalgamation of the ...

; the second regarded money

Marcus Egnatius Marcellinus Marcus Egnatius Marcellinus was a senator of Imperial Rome. Life He was consul suffectus in the '' nundinium'' of April to June 116 as the colleague of Tiberius Julius Secundus.Werner Eck, "Konsuln des Jahres 117 in Militärdiplomen Traians mit ...

owed to an imperial scribe upon completion of his service as quaestor in an unnamed province. As the scribe had died before the money could be paid, Macer proposed the money be paid to the scribe's heirs, while another senator proposed it should be paid to the imperial treasury. Macer acceded to the office of urban prefect at an unknown time after his consulship, but definitely before the death of emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

. Soon after Hadrian had ascended to the throne, according to the '' Historia Augusta'', his old guardian

Publius Acilius Attianus Publius Acilius Attianus (1st – 2nd century AD) was a powerful Roman official who played a significant, though obscured, role in the transfer of power from Trajan to Hadrian. Life He was born in Italica, Hispania Baetica, which was also ...

wrote to Hadrian that he should have Macer killed because the latter man, along with two others currently in exile, opposed his rule. Nevertheless, Hadrian did not act on this advice.''Historia Augusta'', "Hadrian", 5.5; translated by Anthony Birley, ''Lives of the Later Caesars'' (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976), p. 62 His life after he left the office of Urban prefect is lost to history.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baebius Macer, Quintus 1st-century Romans 2nd-century Romans Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Hispania Baetica Macer Urban prefects of Rome