Marcus Lollius, perhaps with the

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 her ...

Paulinus, was a Roman

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 e ...

who was active in the second half of 1st century BC and first half of 1st century. Due to a passage in

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

, a number of scholars have argued that Lollius was a

suffect consul A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...

, possibly even in AD 13. However,

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 Rom ...

pointed out that Lollius could never have been consul due to the disgrace of his father in 2 BC, which resulted in a prolonged antipathy towards him by

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

. "When requesting the Senate to honor Sulpicius Quirinius with a public funeral," Syme writes, "and recounting his merits and his loyalty, the Princeps was put in mind of the Rhodian years and could not suppress harsh words about Lollius." Syme proposes an emendation that would make the passage refer to the elder Lollius, not this one. Providing a definite solution is the findings of Diana Gorostidi Pi, who completed the list of consuls for this year and showed there is no room for Lollius here.

Family background

Lollius was a member of the

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins o ...

gens Lollia. He was the son of the Roman senator and Military Officer Marcus LolliusMarcus Lollius’ article at Livius.org
/ref> and his wife Aurelia.Syme, ''Augustan Aristocracy'', p. 178

identifies Aurelia as "a sister of the postulated and unattested Aurelius Cotta who adopted the younger son of Messalla Corvinus". Lollius was the namesake of his father and paternal grandfather. Publius Lollius Maximus may have been his brother, or at least a close relation.

Career

Little is known on the life of Lollius. The Horrea Lolliana was either built by his father or Lollius himself.Rickman, ''Roman Granaries and Store Buildings'', p. 164 It is known from the inscriptions refer to them and also, from their plan in the Severan Marble Plan of Rome. It seems his family had long trade connections and his family's name is found among the Italian merchants on the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

island of

Delos The island of Delos (; el, Δήλος ; Attic: , Doric: ), near Mykonos, near the centre of the Cyclades archipelago, is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. The excavations in the island ar ...

in the

Hellenistic period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

Wife and issue

Lollius married a Roman noblewoman called Volusia Saturnina, a daughter to the consul Lucius Volusius Saturninus and his wife Nonia Polla.Syme, ''Augustan Aristocracy'', p. 56 Her paternal grandmother was Claudia, aunt of the emperor

. Through Volusia, Lollius was the father of two daughters: * Lollia Saturnina * Lollia Paulina, third wife of

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanic ...

References

Sources

*Horace - Edited by O.A.W Dilke, Horace: Epistles Book I, Taylor & Francis *G. Highet, ''The Classical Tradition: Greek and Roman Influences on Western Literature'', Oxford University Press, 1949 *G. Rickman, ''Roman Granaries and Store Buildings'', CUP Archive, 1971 *S.J. Harrison, ''Homage to Horace: A Bimillenary Celebration'', Oxford University Press, 1995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lollius, Marcus 1st-century BC Romans 1st-century Romans Senators of the Roman Empire Lollii