Lucius Aradius Valerius Proculus Populonius ( 333–352) was a senator and a politician of the Roman Empire, twice ''

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, an ...

'' of Rome (in 337–338 and in 351–352) and once consul (in 340).

Life

He was a ''

vir clarissimus The constitution of the late Roman Empire was an unwritten set of guidelines and principles passed down, mainly through precedent, which defined the manner in which the late Roman Empire was governed. As a matter of historical convention, the lat ...

'', the lowest rank of senator. His offices were:

augur An augur was a priest and official in the ancient Rome, classical Roman world. His main role was the practice of augury, the interpretation of the will of the List of Roman deities, gods by studying events he observed within a predetermined s ...

, ''pontifex major'', '' quindecimvir sacris faciundis'', ''pontifex flavialis'', ''praetor tutelaris'', ''legatus pro praetore'' in

Numidia Numidia was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisia and Libya. The polity was originally divided between ...

, ''peraequator census'' in

Gallaecia Gallaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province in the north-west of Hispania, approximately present-day Galicia, northern Portugal, Asturias and Leon and the later Kingdom of Gallaecia. The Roman cities inclu ...

, ''

praeses ''Praeses'' (Latin ''praesides'') is a Latin word meaning "placed before" or "at the head". In antiquity, notably under the Roman Dominate, it was used to refer to Roman governors; it continues to see some use for various modern positions. ...

'' of

Byzacena Byzacena (or Byzacium) (, ''Byzakion'') was a Late Roman province in the central part of Roman North Africa, which is now roughly Tunisia, split off from Africa Proconsularis. History At the end of the 3rd century AD, the Roman emperor Dioclet ...

, ''consularis'' of Europa and Thracia, ''consularis'' of Sicily, ''comes'' of the second order, ''comes'' of the first order, then proconsul of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

(before 333).

Lucius Aurelius Avianius Symmachus Lucius Aurelius Avianius Symmachus Phosphorius (died 376) was an aristocrat of the Roman Empire, and father of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. Biography A member of the aristocratic family of the Symmachi, he was the son of Aurelius Valerius Tullianus ...

wrote an epigram in his honour. A statue was dedicated to Proculus by the merchants of pig meat and the leather makers; the inscription is preserved in the

Museo Nazionale Romano The National Roman Museum (Italian: ''Museo Nazionale Romano'') is a museum, with several branches in separate buildings throughout the city of Rome, Italy. It shows exhibits from the pre- and early history of Rome, with a focus on archaeological ...

Palazzo Altemps The National Roman Museum (Italian: ''Museo Nazionale Romano'') is a museum, with several branches in separate buildings throughout the city of Rome, Italy. It shows exhibits from the pre- and early history of Rome, with a focus on archaeological ...

in Rome. He was appointed ''

'' of Rome in 337–338, under Emperor

Constans Flavius Julius Constans ( 323 – 350), also called Constans I, was Roman emperor from 337 to 350. He held the imperial rank of '' caesar'' from 333, and was the youngest son of Constantine the Great. After his father's death, he was made ''a ...

. In 340 he was Consul, with

Septimius Acindynus Septimius Acindynus (Greek: Σεπτίμιος ό Άκίνδυνος) was a Roman consul with Valerius Proculus in 340 AD. He was governor of Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . wa ...

as colleague. Eleven years later, in 351, under the usurper

Magnentius Magnus Magnentius ( 303 – 10 August 353) was a Roman general and usurper against Constantius II. Of Germanic descent, Magnentius served with distinction in Gaul, where the army chose him as a replacement for the unpopular emperor Constans. Ac ...

, he was appointed ''

'' of Rome for the second time, and kept this office until the following year, when Magnentius lost control of Italy.

In fiction

Proculus is the grandfather of Flavia Vindex, the heroine of a novel, ''Britanniae'', by M. O'Sullivan, set in Britain and published in 2011.Review by Historical Novel Society

References

Bibliography

* ''

Chronography of 354 The Chronograph of 354 is a compilation of chronological and calendrical texts produced in 354 AD for a wealthy Roman Christian named Valentinus by the calligrapher and illustrator Furius Dionysius Filocalus. The original illustrated manuscri ...

'' (''MGH Chronica Minora I'', 1892, p. 69). * , , , , , , * "Proculus 11", ''

Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire ''Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'' (abbreviated as ''PLRE'') is a work of Roman prosopography published in a set of three volumes collectively describing many of the people attested to have lived in the Roman Empire from AD 260, the date ...

'', Cambridge University Press, 1971, , pp. 747–749. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aradius Valerius Proculus, Lucius Augurs of the Roman Empire 4th-century Roman consuls Urban prefects of Rome Valerii Clarissimi viri