Censorius Datianus (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

337–365) was a politician of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

, very influential under the rule of Emperor

Constantius II Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic ...

(337-361).

Biography

Datianus was the son of a servant in the public baths, and he climbed the social ladder to the position of senator in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

and '' patricius'' of the Empire. He had some properties in

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

, where he built public baths, some gardens and some villas. He also exchanged letters with Libanius, from whom he received, between 355 and 365, 20 letters still conserved. After serving under Emperor Constantine I, he became one of the main counsellors of his son

. As '' comes'' in 345, he wrote a letter to bishop

Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...

inviting him to return to his see in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...

, after being deposed by the Arians. In 351 was a member of the tribunal that put bishop Photinus on trial at the synod of

Sirmium Sirmium was a city in the Roman province of Pannonia, located on the Sava river, on the site of modern Sremska Mitrovica in the Vojvodina autonomous provice of Serbia. First mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by Illyrians an ...

. In 354 he allowed Libanius to return to Antioch. In 358 he held the

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 th ...

ate, and he was still ''patricius'' as of 18 September of that year. After the death of Constantius and the rise to power of

Julian Julian may refer to: People * Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363 * Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots * Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints * Julian (give ...

(361-363), he lost influence. In 363, now elderly, he was in Antioch when Julian died. Datianus followed the new Emperor Jovian to Ancyra, where he passed the winter. When Jovian died in February 364, Datianus wrote from Galatia to Nicaea, where the imperial court was gathered, to support the election of

Valentinian I Valentinian I ( la, Valentinianus; 32117 November 375), sometimes called Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375. Upon becoming emperor, he made his brother Valens his co-emperor, giving him rule of the eastern provinces. Vale ...

. That same month (February 364), the population of Antioch burned his house, and the city council was accused of doing nothing to fight the fire. The people of Antioch sent Datianus a letter asking for his pardon, through the intercession of Libanius; when Datianus gave his pardon, the people were so happy that Libanius, who brought the news, increased his prestige. Datianus is recorded as still alive in 365.

Bibliography

* Scott Bradbury, ''Selected Letters of Libanius: From the Age of Constantius and Julian'', Liverpool University Press, 2004, {{ISBN, 0853235090, pp. 80–82. * Arnold Hugh Martin Jones, John Robert Martindale, John Morris, "Datianus 1", '' The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'', Cambridge University Press, 1971, p. 246. Correspondents of Libanius 4th-century Roman consuls