Aulus Larcius Priscus facts for kids

Aulus Larcius Priscus was an important Roman senator and general. He held many different jobs serving the emperor. His career was quite unusual because he became a very high-ranking official — the governor of Syria — at a surprisingly young age. He was a suffect consul (a type of consul who served for part of a year) from October to December in the year 110 AD. His colleague was Sextus Marcius Honoratus. Most of what we know about Priscus comes from old inscriptions (writings carved into stone).

We know about Priscus's family thanks to research by Martha W. Baldwin Bowsky. His father was Aulus Larcius Lepidus Sulpicianus, and his mother was Caecina A.f. Larga. He also had a sister named Larcia A.f. Priscilla. His father, Sulpicianus, was known for being a quaestor (a financial officer) in Crete and Cyrenaica, and a commander of a Roman army unit called Legio X Fretensis in 70 AD. It seems Sulpicianus might have died before reaching higher political ranks. Priscus's grandfather on his mother's side was Gaius Silius, who was a consul in 13 AD. His grandparents on his father's side were Aulus Larcius Gallus, who belonged to the equestrian class (a wealthy social group), and Sulpicia Telero, whose family was important in Crete.

How Priscus Started His Career

An inscription found in Timgad, which is in modern-day Algeria, tells us about Priscus's early career. This inscription was put up by a local council to honor him as a town patron. A few years earlier, Priscus had also set up a dedication to Jupiter Optimus Maximus in Foum-Meriel, also in Algeria. This helps us figure out the order of some of his jobs.

Priscus started his career by serving as a sevir equitum Romanorum. This was a role during the yearly inspection of the equites. After that, he became one of the decemviri stlitibus judicandis magistrates. This was one of four groups that made up the vigintiviri. Joining one of these groups was the first necessary step to become a member of the Roman Senate.

Next, Priscus was appointed a quaestor. This job officially allowed him to join the Senate. Each year, twenty quaestors were chosen. Ten of them were sent to help the governors of public provinces. Priscus was lucky to be chosen to assist the governor of Asia, which was a very good position.

An Unusual Turn in Syria

While Priscus was quaestor of Asia, his career took a very unusual path. The next job listed for him was legatus legionis, which means commander of Legio IV Scythica. This legion was stationed in the nearby province of Syria. Usually, a senator would not be given command of a legion until they had been a praetor. Being a praetor was a much higher rank than Priscus had reached at that point.

What happened next was even more extraordinary: he became the governor of Syria itself! This job usually required someone to have been a consul first. But reliable sources say that Priscus was governor of Syria in 97/98 AD, which was twelve years before he became a consul.

There's a likely reason for this strange situation. Pliny the Younger, a famous Roman writer, wrote to a friend about the short reign of Emperor Nerva. He mentioned worrying reports about a man in charge of a huge army in the eastern part of the empire. It's generally believed this person was the governor of Syria. Also, because of the date, many think this person might have been a rival to Trajan for the position of Nerva's successor.

Priscus's predecessor as governor of Syria was Marcus Cornelius Nigrinus Curiatius Maternus. Maternus was an experienced general who had won battles for Emperor Domitian. But Maternus disappears from history around this time. Any rival to Trajan, once Trajan became emperor, would have at least been removed from their important job, or even executed. We have no records of Maternus after 97 AD.

Priscus's Later Career

After his unusual time as governor of Syria, Priscus returned to Rome. He continued his career serving the emperor. He held the next two important Roman jobs: plebeian tribune and praetor. Then, he served as an assistant to the governor of Hispania Baetica.

After that, he became praefectus frumenti dandi. This was the official in charge of giving out free grain to the people of Rome. Then came two military commands. First, he was the commander of Legio II Augusta in Roman Britain. Then, he commanded a second legion, Legio III Augusta, from 105 to 108 AD. Commanding the III Augusta was like being the governor of Numidia, where the legion was based. While in Numidia, he led a military campaign, but we don't know much about it.

Priscus was then chosen by lot to be the proconsular governor of Gallia Narbonensis for the years 108/109 AD.

In the same year Priscus was consul, he also joined a special group of priests called the Septemviri epulonum. We don't know what he did after his time as consul. Some historians thought he might have been governor of Cappadocia at one point. However, it was later shown that the inscription they looked at actually referred to a different general named Corbulo. One historian, Anthony Birley, thought that some grammar mistakes in one of Priscus's inscriptions might mean his poor writing skills limited how far he could advance.

Priscus's Family

We don't know the name of Priscus's wife. However, Aulus Larcius Lepidus Plarianus, who was a suffect consul sometime in the mid-to-late 2nd century, is generally thought to have been either Priscus's son or grandson.

See also

In Spanish: Aulo Larcio Prisco para niños