Lucius Plotius Pegasus
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(Lucius?) Plotius Pegasus 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 ...
and
jurisconsult A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the U ...
active under the
Flavian dynasty The Flavian dynasty ruled the Roman Empire between AD 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69–79), and his two sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96). The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known as ...
. He was suffect consul in an uncertain year, most likely 72 or 73, as the colleague of
Lucius Cornelius Pusio Annius Messalla Lucius Cornelius Pusio Annius Messalla was a Roman senator under the Flavian dynasty who held several offices in the emperor's service. He was suffect consul in an uncertain year, most likely 72 or 73, as the colleague of Plotius Pegasus. The sh ...
. Shortly after his ascension to the imperial throne,
Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavi ...
appointed Pegasus
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 ...
, one of the most prestigious offices in a senatorial career.


Family

According to a scholiast on
Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the ''Satires''. The details of Juvenal's life ...
, Pegasus and his brother Plotius Griphus were named by their father after ships he commanded as a
trierarch Trierarch ( gr, τριήραρχος, triērarchos) was the title of officers who commanded a trireme (''triēres'') in the classical Greek world. In Classical Athens, the title was associated with the trierarchy (τριηραρχία, ''triēr ...
, or naval commander. Professor
Edward Champlin Edward Champlin is a Professor of Classics, Cotsen Professor of Humanities, and former Master of Butler College at Princeton University. He teaches Roman history, Roman law, and Latin literature and has written several books regarding these subje ...
of
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
provides evidence to show that ships of the imperial fleet were often named after swift and powerful winged beasts. He makes the suggestion that their father should be identified with a "M.Plotius Paulus qui et Zosimus", whose tombstone was recovered at Rome. An inscription from
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
mentions him, but it is broken where it contains his name: '' ..ius Pegasus''. Champlin makes a convincing argument that the best restoration for his ''
gentilicium The (or simply ) was a hereditary name borne by the peoples of Roman Italy and later by the citizens of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It was originally the name of one's (family or clan) by patrilineal descent. However, as Rome expande ...
'' is ''Plotius'', the same as his brother. There are some possible descendants of Pegasus or his brother. The ''
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 Lucius Plotius P ..
proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...
of
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
in 81/82, has been argued to be ''Pegasus'', and thus the proconsul is very likely his son, although
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 ...
has argued that the ''cognomen'' is actually ''Pulcher'' and is an otherwise unknown member of the Plautii Silvani.


Life

Prior to the
Year of Four Emperors A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hour ...
, Pegasus' life is unknown. Brian Jones, author of ''The Emperor Domitian'', writes, "At all events, he and his brother were committed Flavians at the right time and, despite their comparatively humble background and possibly eastern origin, were amply rewarded." The scholiast to Juvenal states that Pegasus was governor of several provinces, but the only one we have evidence for is Dalmatia from the year 70 to 73. One of the
military tribune A military tribune (Latin ''tribunus militum'', "tribune of the soldiers") was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion. Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribune as a stepping stone to ...
s of the Legio IV Flavia stationed in Dalmatia at the time was Gaius Petillius Firmus, the younger son of
Quintus Petillius Cerialis Quintus Petillius Cerialis Caesius Rufus ( AD 30 — after AD 83), otherwise known as Quintus Petillius Cerialis, was a Roman general and administrator who served in Britain during Boudica's rebellion and went on to participate in the civil wars af ...
; since governors often appointed relatives to hold the commission of one of the military tribunes in their province, this has led some to speculate that Pegasus is somehow related to the young Firmus. Juvenal notes in his Fourth ''Satire'' that Pegasus was so honest that people were astonished when they learned he was selected as Urban prefect.''Satires'', IV.77 However, the date he took office and how long he held it is uncertain. The Fourth ''Satire'' is set at the beginning of
Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavi ...
's reign, a dramatic date between mid-September 81 and Spring of 83. Pegasus' ethical reputation suggests he would not willingly have taken part in Domitian's notorious proscriptions against Senators that started in the year 91. Lastly, a number of personages were appointed Urban Prefect between the years 81 and 91 who must also be accommodated in that decade, including Marcus Arrecinus Clemens,
Gaius Rutilius Gallicus Quintus Julius Cordinus Gaius Rutilius Gallicus was a Roman senator who held several posts in the emperor's service. He was twice suffect consul: for the first time in the '' nundinium'' of September to October 70 AD; and the second time in 85 ...
, and
Titus Aurelius Fulvus Titus Aurelius Fulvus may refer to: * Titus Aurelius Fulvus (grandfather of Antoninus Pius) Titus Aurelius Fulvus was a Roman consul and grandfather of the emperor Antoninus Pius; as his son by the same name was Pius's father. Biography Titus A ...
, listing them in the order Jones suggests they held the office. Champlin suggests "his absence from the voluminous extant works of Statius,
Martial Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman poet from Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of ''Epigrams'', published in Rome between AD 86 and ...
, and the younger Pliny (who was certainly familiar with all of the leading jurists of the day) suggests that he may have died not long after leaving office."


As a jurisconsult

During his lifetime, Pegasus was considered "a ''iuris peritus'' of glorious memory, a walking encyclopaedia". He succeeded the namesake as head of the Proculian school of law. Jones speculates his suffect consulship followed soon after
Nerva Nerva (; originally Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dy ...
's, whose father and grandfather were also leading Proculians. Despite this reputation while he was alive, "not a single word of his writings survives. Indeed, but for notices in the Digest and in Juvenal and his scholiast, he would have been quite forgotten." The ''
Senatus Consultum A ''senatus consultum'' (Latin: decree of the senate, plural: ''senatus consulta'') is a text emanating from the senate in Ancient Rome. It is used in the modern phrase ''senatus consultum ultimum''. Translated into French as ''sénatus-consulte' ...
Pegasianum'', which addressed difficulties concerning inheritances not covered by the ''Senatus Consultum Trebellianum'', was named for Pegasus.


Notes


Sources

* * * * * * * {{cite book, first=Richard , last=Talbert, title=The Senate of Imperial Rome, publisher=Princeton University Press, year=1984, isbn=0691054002 1st-century Romans Ancient Roman jurists Roman governors of Dalmatia Senators of the Roman Empire Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Urban prefects of Rome