Lucius Julius Ursus was a relative of 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 ...

, who was originally one of the

equites The ''equites'' (; literally "horse-" or "cavalrymen", though sometimes referred to as "knights" in English) constituted the second of the property-based classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the senatorial class. A member of the equestrian ...

who held several imperial appointments, but afterwards was promoted to the

Roman senate 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 ...

. He was suffect consul three times: once under

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 Fl ...

and twice under

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

Life

Ursus was the younger brother of

Tiberius Julius Lupus Tiberius Julius Lupus (died AD 73) was a member of the equestrian class who was ''praefectus'' or governor of Roman Egypt from 71 to 73. He was the older brother of Lucius Julius Ursus; their father was Julius Lupus, the brother-in-law of the pra ...

; their father was

Julius Lupus The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain t ...

, the brother-in-law of the

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...

Marcus Arrecinus Clemens and uncle of Arrecina Tertulla, the wife of the emperor

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

. This connection led to Ursus being appointed to the three top equestrian posts: ''

Praefectus annonae The ("prefect of the provisions"), also called the ("prefect of the grain supply") was a Roman official charged with the supervision of the grain supply to the city of Rome. Under the Republic, the job was usually done by an aedile. However, i ...

'', or prefect of the grain supply for Rome, then

(81-83 AD), and governor of

Roman Egypt , conventional_long_name = Roman Egypt , common_name = Egypt , subdivision = Province , nation = the Roman Empire , era = Late antiquity , capital = Alexandria , title_leader = Praefectus Augustalis , image_map = Roman E ...

(83-84 AD). Upon returning to Rome from Egypt, Arrecina Tertulla convinced her brother-in-law

to grant a consulship to Ursus. He held the fasces for the first time in the '' nundinium'' July–August 84 AD; his colleague has not been identified. According to

Dio Cassius Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

, Ursus was a member of

's inner circle at the beginning. When Domitian, early in his reign, planned on having his wife

Domitia {{For, the genus of beetles, Domitia (beetle) Domitia is the name of women from the '' gens'' Domitia of Ancient Rome. Women from the ''gens'' include: * Domitia (aunt of Messalina), aunt of Roman emperor Nero and empress Messalina * Domitia L ...

executed for infidelity, it was Ursus who convinced him not to do so. Later, after Domitian returned home victorious from his campaigns in Germania, Ursus is recorded as "failing to show pleasure" and narrowly avoided being executed for this. After this, Ursus held no important administrative posts during Domitian's reign, but Jones believes he remained an important member of the imperial court. Ursus must not have been too closely associated with Domitian, for after that emperor's assassination and the ascension of

, Ursus was suffect consul twice more: as the colleague of Trajan in the ''nundinium'' March 98 AD; and replacing Trajan as suffect consul for January–February 100 AD with

Sextus Julius Frontinus Sextus Julius Frontinus (c. 40 – 103 AD) was a prominent Roman civil engineer, author, soldier and senator of the late 1st century AD. He was a successful general under Domitian, commanding forces in Roman Britain, and on the Rhine and Danube ...

as his colleague.

Adoption

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 Ursus

adopted Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

Servius Julius Servianus, suffect consul in 90 AD, and afterwards Servianus used the name

Lucius Julius Ursus Servianus Lucius Julius Ursus Servianus (45 – 136 AD) was an Iberian Roman politician. He was a prominent public figure in the reigns of Roman emperors Nerva, Trajan and Hadrian. He was the last private citizen to receive a third consulship; such honors ...

, thus continuing the lineage; no scholar has spoken against this identification, and it has been considered accepted by all.Olli Salomies, '' Adoptive and Polyonymous Nomenclature in the Roman Empire'' (Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Fennica, 1992), p. 51 Servianus remained close to the center of power, being part of the imperial courts of Trajan and

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 ...

until his death.

Life

Adoption

References

Further reading