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Quintus Sosius Senecio

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Name
  
Quintus Senecio


Role
  
Politician

Quintus Sosius Senecio (fl. 1st century) was a Roman senator who was favored by the emperors Domitian and Trajan. As a result of this favor, he was twice ordinary consul, an unusual and prestigious honor: first in 99, with Aulus Cornelius Palma Frontonianus as his colleague; and again in 107 as the colleague of Lucius Licinius Sura, who was himself consul for the third time.

Contents

Career

Senecio's origins are unknown. He has been identified as the subject of an inscription where the name of the subject is lost, and this stone provides us his cursus honorum. The earliest office recorded on this inscription was one of the Vigintiviri, a group of four minor magistrates required of senators at the start of their careers, as one of the quattuorviri viarum curandarum. His next recorded office was as quaestor of the public province of Achaea. The inscription omits all mention of a term of service as military tribune; John D. Grainger speculates that he may have served with Legio XXI Rapax, which was destroyed by the Iazyges in 92. He was the emperor's candidate for plebeian tribune and praetor, a clear honor; that the emperor's name is not provided suggests he was Domitian, who suffered damnatio memoriae after his death. After achieving the rank of praetor, Senecio was commissioned legatus or commander of Legio I Minervia. He was then governor of Gallia Belgica for the term 96-98. It was while governor that Senecio provided early support to Trajan.

Senecio became consul ordinarius in 99. During the Dacian Wars, he held the governorship of Moesia Superior. Afterwards he earned a second consulate in 107 as well as a statue at state expense.

Personal details

Senecio was a member of literary circles. Pliny the Younger addressed two letters to a "Senecio" who is commonly identified with him. The first, beginning with "This year has produced a healthy crop of poets", is on the health of contemporary Roman literature. The second is a request for a commission as military tribune on behalf of the relative of Pliny's friend Calvisius Rufus. Plutarch also addresses several of his lives to Senecio (Theseus, 1, Demosth. 1, Brut. 1), and his Quaestiones conviviales and Quomodo quis suos in virtute sentiat profectus, as well as potentially referenced in De primo frigido, where Plutarch speaks of Trajan's expedition on the Danube (949e) during the Second Dacian War.

Senecio married the daughter of Sextus Iulius Frontinus a three-time consul (cos. 97, 98, 100). They had a daughter, Sosia Polla, who married Quintus Pompeius Falco.

References

Quintus Sosius Senecio Wikipedia