Gaius Quinctius Certus Poblicius Marcellus 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 lett ...

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

active in the first quarter of the second century AD. He was suffect consul for the '' nundinium'' of May to June AD 120, with Titus Rutilius Propinquus as his colleague. The more common and shorter version of his name is Gaius Poblicius Marcellus;Salomies, ''Adoptive and Polyonymous Nomenclature in the Roman Empire'' (Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Fennica, 1992), p. 125 he is known primarily from inscriptions. He later served in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

as the imperial legate (the province's governor).

Name

Marcellus' polyonymous name has attracted much study. Olli Salomies, in his monograph on early imperial naming practices, notes that he "was most probably related to Publicius Certus, prefect of the ''

aerarium Saturni Aerarium, from ''aes'' (“bronze, money”) + -''ārium'' (“place for”), was the name given in Ancient Rome to the public treasury, and in a secondary sense to the public finances. ''Aerarium populi Romani'' The main ''aerarium'', that ...

'' in 97 ... and to Quintus Certus, a Roman knight killed in 69", and notes that Géza Alföldy suggests that Publicius Certus was Marcellus' biological father and Marcellus was adopted by a descendant of Quintus Certus. That ''Certus'' is an uncommon ''

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 ...

'' further suggests the two were related. Salomies, however, concedes Marcellus could have acquired one ''

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 ...

'' through his mother, instead of through adoption. "But I must confess," Salomies concludes, "that I much prefer the explanation that Publicius Marcellus had been adopted by a relative."

Biography

His ''

cursus honorum The ''cursus honorum'' (; , or more colloquially 'ladder of offices') was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The ''c ...

'' can be reconstructed from his consulship forward from an inscription. The inscription attests that at some point after his consulate, Marcellus acquired the prestigious sacral office of

augur An augur was a priest and official in the classical Roman world. His main role was the practice of augury, the interpretation of the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds. Determinations were based upon whether they were flying ...

. Other offices he held recorded in this inscription were: governor of

Germania Superior Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesontio ...

, 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 between the year 120 and 128; and governor of

, which Dabrowa dates from the year 128 to 135. While governor of Syria, Marcellus was awarded

triumphal ornaments Roman triumphal honours (Latin: ''insignia'' or ''ornamenta triumphalia'') denotes honours awarded during the Roman Empire to a victorious general in lieu of a full Roman triumph. After 14 BC, it became the policy of the founder-emperor Augustus, ...

for his role in crushing the

Bar Kokhba revolt The Bar Kokhba revolt ( he, , links=yes, ''Mereḏ Bar Kōḵḇāʾ‎''), or the 'Jewish Expedition' as the Romans named it ( la, Expeditio Judaica), was a rebellion by the Jews of the Roman province of Judea, led by Simon bar Kokhba, ag ...

. One of the reasons for receiving military decoration was that the commander of the Syrian navy, Sextus Cornelius Dexter, was under the commander of the Syrian governor. The ''

Historia Augusta The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, designated heirs and usurpers from 117 to 284. Supposedly modeled on the si ...

'' states that the emperor

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania ...

forced one Marcellus to commit suicide, but Birley rejects an identification with Poblicius.Birley, ''Roman Government of Britain'', p. 111

Name

Biography

References

Further reading