Sextus Aelius Paetus Catus ( fl. 198194 BC) or Sextus Aelius Q.f. Paetus Catus (or "the clever one"), was a

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

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 ...

, elected in 198 BC. Today, he is best known for his interpretation of the laws of the

Twelve Tables The Laws of the Twelve Tables was the legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. Formally promulgated in 449 BC, the Tables consolidated earlier traditions into an enduring set of laws.Crawford, M.H. 'Twelve Tables' in Simon Hornblowe ...

, which is known to us only through the praise of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

. Paetus Catus came from a prominent plebeian noble family; his father was a

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 ...

, and his elder brother was another consul, Publius Aelius Paetus.

Family

Sextus Aelius Paetus was apparently the younger surviving son of

Quintus Aelius Paetus Quintus is a male given name derived from '' Quintus'', a common Latin forename ('' praenomen'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Quintus derives from Latin word ''quintus'', meaning "fifth". Quintus is an English masculine given name an ...

, a praetor who was one of the many Roman senators killed at Cannae in August 216 BC. Other members of the gens Aelia who rose to high office included Publius Aelius Paetus, who was consul in 337 BC, and Gaius Aelius Paetus, consul in 286 BC. Both earlier consuls may have been ancestors, or collateral kinsmen, but the connection is not mentioned by the Roman historian

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

. Paetus's elder brother became

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

in 202, and consul in the following year. Other members of the family, including Publius's son, succeeded to the consulship in later years.

Political career

Little is known of Paetus Catus's political career, or how he acquired the additional

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 ...

of "Catus". Livy mentions that he was

curule aedile ''Aedile'' ( ; la, aedīlis , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enf ...

in 200 BC, when he imported grain from Africa. According to an Oxford dictionary of Roman jurists, Paetus Catus's rapid rise from curule aedile to the consulship and censorship was not due to his father's death or his elder brother's successes, but his aptitude for the law. He was apparently nicknamed “catus” meaning “clever” or "the clever one" in recognition of his legal skills. Catus may have given up other aspects of his public career (he is not mentioned in any military action by Livy) to devote his time to the study of law. The Oxford dictionary believes that he may have been the first professional jurist in the history of Rome. (It is not clear if earlier jurists were not professional, or were part-timers, but a Roman paterfamilias of rank and status, or his grown sons, would be expected to defend his family's clients in legal matters. Perhaps the Punic war meant that too many such patrons were away from Rome, and unable to handle legal matters). His brother Publius Aelius Paetus had been consul three years earlier in 201, and was elected censor 199. Publius's success may have helped Sextus to the consulship in 198, but he was overshadowed by his younger and eventually more famous patrician colleague, Titus Quinctius T.f. Flamininus, then aged only thirty. Sextus did not distinguish himself militarily during his consulship, with all honours, including the Macedonian/Greek campaigns, going to his much younger colleague Flamininus. His own efforts in his assigned province were not marked with much success. However, he was still elected censor in 194 with

Gaius Cornelius Cethegus Gaius Cornelius Cethegus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 197 BC. He became proconsul in Hispania in 200 BC and was elected aedile ''in absentia''. In Hispania he defeated a hostile force in the territory of the Sedetani and 15,000 of th ...

, possibly out of respect for his skills as a jurist, possibly out of respect for his elder brother, a former censor.

Paetus, the jurist

Aelius Paetus and his brother Publius were both apparently jurists. Sextus was author of a work, ''Commentaria tripartita'' or ''tripertita '', which systematically set out each provision of the

, provided a commentary, and then discussed a relevant action-at-law for each provision. Another work called ''Ius Aelianum'' discussed actions-at-law only.However, another source (William Smith's 1875 Dictionary, insists these two works are one and the same - ''Commentaria tripartita'', or ''Ius Aelianum'', also called ''Tripertita '' (perhaps a misspelling

the work, according to this source, apparently contained the Law of the

, an interpretation thereof, and ''Legis Actiones'' (actions-at-law). The former work was praised by no less a judge than

, and was evidently extant during the lifetime of his friend

Titus Pomponius Atticus Titus Pomponius Atticus (November 110 BC – 31 March 32 BC; later named Quintus Caecilius Pomponianus Atticus) was a Roman editor, banker, and patron of letters, best known for his correspondence and close friendship with prominent Roman s ...

who refers to it. When the work disappeared is unknown.

References

Sources

*Information on the career and works of Sextus Aelius Paetus from an Oxford University site (accessed vi
Google cache
. Retrieved 30 May 2007. *Livy. History of Rome. * German Wikipedia entry on Sextus Aelius Paetus, consul 198 BC, which cites ** Livius 32, 7 ** Pomponius Dig. 1,2,2,38 ** Cicero de Rep. I, 18

External links

presents a different view of Catus's works, making two works one and the same. William Smith's ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'', published 1875, provides scanty details about this lost work. Little more information is to be found in this site's article about the Twelve Tables. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
Genealogy
(somewhat uncertain, should be used with care). Retrieved 30 May 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aelius Paetus Catus, Sextus Ancient Roman jurists Roman censors Paetus Catus, Sextus 2nd-century BC Roman consuls 3rd-century BC births 2nd-century BC deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown