Lucius Valerius Claudius Acilius Priscillianus aximus'' (fl. 3rd century) 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 ...

Life

Valerius Maximus, a member of the third century

gens Valeria The gens Valeria was a patrician family at ancient Rome, prominent from the very beginning of the Republic to the latest period of the Empire. Publius Valerius Poplicola was one of the consuls in 509 BC, the year that saw the overthrow of th ...

, was possibly the son of Lucius Valerius Messalla by his wife Claudia Acilia Priscilliana, as his ''nomina'' and ''cognomina'' combined suggest. He began his career serving as the '' sevir equitum Romanorum'' at the annual review 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 ...

. His first political appointment was as the ''

triumvir monetalis The ''triumvir monetalis'' ( ''tresviri'' or ''triumviri monetales'', also called the , abbreviated IIIVIR A. A. A. F. F.) was a moneyer during the Roman Republic and the Empire, who oversaw the minting of coins. In that role, he would be respon ...

'', followed by a posting as

quaestor A ( , , ; "investigator") was a public official in Ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officials who ...

in some unknown province.Mennen, pg. 124 This was followed by his being appointed '' quaestor urbanus'', after which he filled the office of '' praetor tutelaris'' (the official responsible for matters of guardianship). Then in 233, Valerius Maximus was made '' consul prior'' alongside

Gnaeus Cornelius Paternus Gnaeus, also spelled Cnaeus, was a Roman praenomen derived from the Latin ''naevus'', a birthmark. It was a common name borne by many individuals throughout Roman history, including: Individuals * Gnaeus Acerronius Proculus, a consul of the Roman ...

. For his

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 ' ...

ar command, Valerius Maximus was appointed ''curator alvi Tiberis riparum cloacarumque sacrae urbis'' (responsible for maintaining the sewers and the banks of the

Tiber river The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Ri ...

within the city of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

). In 238, Valerius Maximus was one of the Italian nobility who was involved in the

senatorial 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 e ...

revolt against the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

Maximinus Thrax Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus "Thrax" ("the Thracian"; – 238) was Roman emperor from 235 to 238. His father was an accountant in the governor's office and sprang from ancestors who were Carpi (a Dacian tribe), a people whom Diocleti ...

. He perhaps had a role in the negotiations which saw

Gordian I Gordian I ( la, Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus; 158 – April 238 AD) was Roman emperor for 22 days with his son Gordian II in 238, the Year of the Six Emperors. Caught up in a rebellion against the Emperor Maximinus Thrax, ...

offered the imperial office, and was the '' comes augusti'' of one of the replacement emperors,

Pupienus Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximus ( 168 238 AD) was Roman emperor with Balbinus for 99 days in 238, during the Year of the Six Emperors. The sources for this period are scant, and thus knowledge of the emperor is limited. In most contemporary t ...

. During that year he was also one of the '' vigintivirs''.Mennen, pg. 126 This was followed by his appointment as ''

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

Laurentium Lavinatium''. Apparently falling out of imperial favour during the reign of

Philip the Arab Philip the Arab ( la, Marcus Julius Philippus "Arabs"; 204 – September 249) was Roman emperor from 244 to 249. He was born in Aurantis, Arabia, in a city situated in modern-day Syria. After the death of Gordian III in February 244, Philip, ...

, Valerius Maximus regained high political office during the reign of the emperor Valerian with his appointment as ''

praefectus urbi 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, a ...

'' of Rome in 255. This was followed in the following year with his second consulship, this time serving with Marcus Acilius Glabrio. Valerius Maximus probably had a son,

Lucius Valerius Poplicola Balbinus Maximus Lucius Valerius Poplicola Balbinus Maximus (fl. 3rd century) was a Roman senator. Life Valerius Balbinus Maximus was a member of the third century gens Valeria which by now had reached Patrician status. He was probably the son of Lucius Valerius ...

, who was

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 throu ...

in 253.

Ancestry

References

Sources

* Mennen, Inge, ''Power and Status in the Roman Empire, AD 193-284'' (2011) {{DEFAULTSORT:Valerius Maximus, Lucius 3rd-century Romans Imperial Roman consuls Urban prefects of Rome Maximus, Lucius Valerius Maximus, Lucius Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Moneyers of ancient Rome