Aulus Bucius Lappius Maximus 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

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

who flourished during the

Flavian dynasty The Flavian dynasty, lasting from 69 to 96 CE, was the second dynastic line of emperors to rule the Roman Empire following the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Julio-Claudians, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian and his two sons, Titus and Domitian. Th ...

; Brian W. Jones considers him one of

Domitian Domitian ( ; ; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor 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 Flavian dynasty. Described as "a r ...

's ''amici'' or advisors. He held the

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a ...

twice.

Name and family

Older authorities refer to him as Lucius Appius Maximus Norbanus, combining

Pliny the Younger Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo; 61 – ), better known in English as Pliny the Younger ( ), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and e ...

's mention of him ("Lappius Maximus") with a garbled passage from the '' Epitome de Caesaribus'' ("Norbanus Lappius") where his name is combined with the name of the governor of

Raetia Raetia or Rhaetia ( , ) was a province of the Roman Empire named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west with Transalpine ...

, Titus Flavius Norbanus. Although his correct name is provided by a military diploma from Suhozem in Bulgaria, some authorities persisted in giving the wrong name. The polyonymy of his name indicates an adoption; according to Olli Salomies, he was born a Lappius Maximus adopted by an Aulus Bucius. Salomies also notes that "all A. Lappii seem to have something to do with the senator".Salomies, ''Adoptive and polyonymous nomenclature in the Roman Empire'' (Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Fennica, 1992), p. 95

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 Roma ...

notes the '' gentilicium'' "'Lappius' is very rare." An inscription at Rome provides the name of his wife, Aelia. Salomies writes that Lappia A.f. Tertulla, mentioned in a Roman inscription () "is probably this man's daughter". In any case, Syme notes Lappius Maximus was one of several notables living during the Flavian dynasty who "were unable to supply consular descendants."

Career

The career of Lappius Maximus included being

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a Roman consul, 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 ...

ar governor of

Bithynia et Pontus Bithynia and Pontus (, Ancient Greek ) was the name of a province of the Roman Empire on the Black Sea coast of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). It was formed during the late Roman Republic by the amalgamation of the former kingdoms of Bithynia (mad ...

during 83/84 prior to being consul for the first time for the '' nundinium'' September to December 86 with

Gaius Octavius Tidius Tossianus Lucius Javolenus Priscus Gaius Octavius Tidius Tossianus Lucius Javolenus Priscus was a Roman Empire, Roman Roman senate, senator and jurist who flourished during the Flavian dynasty. Many of his judgments are quoted in the ''Digest (Roman law), Digest''. Priscus served ...

as his colleague. Then he was consular legate of

Germania Inferior ''Germania Inferior'' ("Lower Germania") was a Roman province from AD 85 until the province was renamed ''Germania Secunda'' in the 4th century AD, on the west bank of the Rhine bordering the North Sea. The capital of the province was Colonia Cl ...

during 87 to 89, during which time he assisted in crushing the revolt of Lucius Antonius Saturninus in the adjacent province 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 ('' Vesont ...

. Afterwards he was immediately assigned to the consular legateship of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

from 89 to 92, before holding the fasces a second time for the ''nundinium'' May to August 95 with Publius Ducenius Verus as his colleague; occupying the office of consul was a distinction Syme notes "that had become preternaturally rare in the course of the previous century."Syme, ''Tacitus'', p. 51

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bucius Lappius Maximus, Aulus 1st-century Romans 1st-century Roman governors of Syria Roman governors of Bithynia and Pontus Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Germania Inferior Roman governors of Syria