Publius Pomponius Secundus was a distinguished statesman and poet in the reigns of

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

, and

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

. He was

suffect consul The consuls were the highest elected public officials of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC). Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum''an ascending sequence of public offices to which politicians aspire ...

for the '' nundinium'' of January to June 44, succeeding the ordinary consul Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus and as the colleague of the other ordinary consul, Titus Statilius Taurus. Publius was on intimate terms with the elder Pliny, who wrote a biography of him, now lost.

Name

His full name was Publius Calvisius Sabinus Pomponius Secundus, as indicated by two fragmentary inscriptions from

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 ...

. For some time, Pomponius' praenomen was uncertain; ''Publius'' was not a regular name of the Pompilii, and Olli Salomies discusses the possibility that it might have been Gaius, but notes that a Publius Calvisius Sabinus was attested as existing in

Spoletium Spoleto (, also , , ; ) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is south of Trevi, north of Terni, southeast of Perugia; southeast of Florence; and north of Rome. Hist ...

, and concludes that it is "possible to assume with some confidence" that he had been adopted by a Publius Calvisius Sabinus. That his praenomen was ''Publius'', at least after his adoption, seems to be confirmed by an inscription from

Veii Veii (also Veius; ) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the city-st ...

, dating from his consulship, another from Cyrenae, when he was

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 ...

, and a third from Mogontiacum, when he was ''

Legatus Augusti pro praetore A ''legatus Augusti pro praetore'' () was the official title of the governor or general of some Imperial provinces of the Roman Empire during the Principate era, normally the larger ones or those where legions were based. Provinces were denote ...

''.

Family

Pomponius' mother was Vistilia, who by other marriages was the mother of Publius Suillius Rufus and the general

Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo ( Peltuinum c. AD 7 – 67) was a popular Roman general, brother-in-law of the emperor Caligula and father-in-law of Domitian. The emperor Nero, highly fearful of Corbulo's reputation, ordered him to commit suicide, which t ...

. The name of his father is not known, but

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 ...

has suggested he could be either Gaius Pomponius Graecinus, consul ''suffectus'' in AD 16, or his brother, Lucius Pomponius Flaccus, consul ''ordinarius'' in 17. Pomponius' brother, Quintus Pomponius Secundus, was involved in various intrigues during the reigns of Tiberius and Claudius. Quintus tried to protect his brother from Tiberius' displeasure.

Political career

Pomponius was a friend of

Sejanus Lucius Aelius Sejanus ( – 18 October AD 31), commonly known as Sejanus (), was a Roman soldier and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Of the Equites class by birth, Sejanus rose to power as prefect of the Praetorian Guard, the imperia ...

, who served as consul in 31. Upon the latter's denunciation and execution in October of that year, mobs hunted down and killed anyone they could link to Sejanus. Pomponius was placed under house arrest by Tiberius, where he remained until 37. Tiberius died in 37, and his successor Caligula promptly released Pomponius from prison and appointed him as governor of the

senatorial province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as governo ...

of Creta et Cyrenaica. Caligula married Caesonia, Pomponius' half-sister, in 40, but he was assassinated in late January 41. Upon Caligula's death, Claudius appointed Pomponius' brother, Quintus Pomponius Secundus as consul (Caligula had been Consul of Rome, as well as emperor, at the time of his assassination).Gallivan, "The Fasti for the Reign of Claudius", pp. 407, 424. Pomponius himself, who was still serving as governor of Creta et Cyrenaica province, served also as consul from January until June of 44. Pomponius continued to serve as governor of the Creta et Cyrenaica until 50, at which time Claudius appointed him as

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and ''

legatus A legate (Latin: , ) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman army, equivalent to a high-ranking general officer of modern times. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer in comman ...

'' of

. In 50, Pomponius led the Roman legions to victory against the

Chatti The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser (''Visurgis'') river. They lived in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of that river and in ...

and freed the survivors of the

Battle of the Teutoburg Forest The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, also called the Varus Disaster or Varian Disaster () by Ancient Rome, Roman historians, was a major battle fought between an alliance of Germanic peoples and the Roman Empire between September 8 and 11, 9&nbs ...

after forty years of slavery. For this, he was decreed the honour of a '' ornamenta triumphalia''. He served as governor of Germania Superior until 54. This was the final mention of Pomponius in the historical record, except by the Plinies.

Writings

It was by his tragedies that Secundus obtained the most celebrity. They are spoken of in the highest terms by Tacitus,

Quintilian Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (; 35 – 100 AD) was a Roman educator and rhetorician born in Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing. In English translation, he is usually referred to as Quin ...

, and the younger Pliny, and were read even in a much later age, as one of them is quoted by the grammarian

Charisius Flavius Sosipater Charisius ( 4th century AD) was a Latin grammarian. He was probably an African by birth, summoned to Constantinople to take the place of Euanthius, a learned commentator on Terence. ''Ars Grammatica'' The ''Ars Grammatica'' ...

. These tragedies were first put on the stage in the time of Claudius. Quintilian asserts that he was far superior to any writer of tragedies he had known, and

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. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

expresses a high opinion of his literary abilities. Secundus devoted much attention to the niceties of grammar and style, on which he was recognized as an authority. His subject matter was Greek, with one known exception, a '' praetexta'' called ''Aeneas''. Tragedians in the

Julio-Claudian The Julio-Claudian dynasty comprised the first five Roman emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. This line of emperors ruled the Roman Empire, from its formation (under Augustus, in 27 BC) until the last of the line, Emper ...

and Flavian periods typically were men of relatively high social status, and their works often expressed their political views under an insufficient veil of fiction. Only a few lines of his work remain, some of which belong to ''Aeneas''.Rudich, ''Political Dissidence under Nero'', p. 304.

References

Bibliography

* Gaius Plinius Secundus (

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

), '' Historia Naturalis'' (Natural History). * Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (

), ''

Institutio Oratoria ''Institutio Oratoria'' ( English: Institutes of Oratory) is a twelve-volume textbook on the theory and practice of rhetoric by Roman rhetorician Quintilian. It was published around year 95 AD. The work deals also with the foundational education ...

'' (Institutes of Oratory). * Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (

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 ...

), '' Epistulae'' (Letters). *

Publius Cornelius Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical ...

, ''

Annales Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts. List of works with titles contai ...

'', ''

Dialogus de Oratoribus The is a short work attributed to Tacitus, in dialogue form, on the art of rhetoric. Its date of composition is unknown, though its dedication to Lucius Fabius Justus places its publication around 102 AD. Summary The dialogue itself, set in ...

'' (Dialogue on Oratory). * Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus (

Cassius Dio 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 of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

), ''Roman History''. *

Flavius Sosipater Charisius Flavius Sosipater Charisius ( 4th century AD) was a Latin Philologist, grammarian. He was probably an Africa (Roman province), African by birth, summoned to Constantinople to take the place of Euanthius, a learned commentator on Terence. ''Ars ...

, ''Ars Grammatica'' (The Art of Grammar). * Friedrich Heinrich Bothe, ''Poëtae Scenici Latinorum Fragmenta'' (Fragments of the Latin Theatrical Poets), Heinrich Vogler, Halberstadt (1822). * ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...

'', William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849). *

Theodor Mommsen Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen (; ; 30 November 1817 – 1 November 1903) was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician and archaeologist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest classicists of the 19th ce ...

''et alii'', ''

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum The ''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (''CIL'') is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw ...

'' (The Body of Latin Inscriptions, abbreviated ''CIL''), Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (1853–present). * René Cagnat ''et alii'', ''

L'Année épigraphique ''L'Année épigraphique'' (''The Epigraphic Year'', standard abbreviation ''AE'') is a French publication on epigraphy (i.e the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing). It was set up by René Cagnat, as holder of the chair of 'Epigraphy a ...

'' (The Year in Epigraphy, abbreviated ''AE''), Presses Universitaires de France (1888–present). * Otto Ribbeck, ''Geschichte der römischen Dichtung'', vol. iii. (1892); ''Tragicorum Romanorum fragmenta'' (1897). *

Martin Schanz Martin Schanz (12 June 1842 – 15 December 1914) was a German classicist and Plato scholar. He was a Dozent and Professor at the University of Würzburg from 1867 to 1912, and is especially known for his history of Roman literature and his groun ...

, ''Geschichte der römischen Literatur'', vol. ii, p. 2 (1900). *

Wilhelm Siegmund Teuffel Wilhelm Siegmund Teuffel (; September 27, 1820March 8, 1878), German classical scholar, was born at Ludwigsburg in the Kingdom of Württemberg. In 1849 he was appointed extraordinary, in 1857 ordinary professor in the university of Tübingen, whic ...

, ''History of Roman Literature'' (Eng. trans.), pp. 284, 287 (1900). *

,
Domitius Corbulo
, in ''

Journal of Roman Studies The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (The Roman Society) was founded in 1910 as the sister society to the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. The Society is the leading organisation in the United Kingdom for those interest ...

'', vol. 60 (1970). *

Werner Eck Werner Eck (born 17 December 1939) is professor of Ancient History at Cologne University, Germany, and a noted expert on the history and epigraphy of imperial Rome.Eck, W. (2007) ''The Age of Augustus''. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, cover notes. Hi ...

, "Über die prätorischen Prokonsulate in der Kaiserzeit. Eine quellenkritische Überlegung" (Concerning the Praetorian Proconsulate of the Imperial Period: a Source-Critical Consideration), in ''Zephyr'', vol. 23/24, pp. 246 ''ff.'' (1972/1973). * Paul A. Gallivan,
The ''Fasti'' for the Reign of Claudius
, in '' Classical Quarterly'', vol. 28, pp. 407–426 (1978). * Olli Salomies, ''Adoptive and Polyonymous Nomenclature in the Roman Empire'', Societas Scientiarum Fennica, Helsinki (1992). * Vasily Rudich, ''Political Dissidence under Nero'', Routledge, (1993). * Gian Biagio Conte, ''Latin Literature: A History'', JHU Press (1999). {{DEFAULTSORT:Pomponius Secundus, Publius Ancient Roman generals Roman governors of Crete and Cyrenaica Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Germania Superior Silver Age Latin writers Secundus, Publius Pomponius Secundus, Publius 1st-century Romans 1st-century writers 1st-century Roman poets

Name

Family

Political career

Writings

See also

References

Bibliography