View source for Lucius Venuleius Apronianus Octavius Priscus

{{Short description|2nd century Roman senator, consul and governor}}
'''Lucius Venuleius Apronianus Octavius Priscus''' was a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[Roman senate|senator]] active during the first half of the second century AD. He was [[Roman consul|suffect consul]] around the year 145, then ordinary consul in 168 with [[Lucius Sergius Paullus (consul 168)|Lucius Sergius Paullus]] as his colleague.<ref name=Alföldy-150>Géza Alföldy, ''Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter der Antoninen'' (Bonn: Rudolf Habelt Verlag, 1977), p. 150</ref> Priscus is known only from non-literary sources.
Priscus has his origins in [[Pisa]]; not only were both the fragmentary inscriptions (one lost) used to define his career found in that city,<ref>{{CIL|11|1432}}, {{CIL|11|1433}}</ref> a lead pipe stamped with his name proves he owned property in the town.<ref>Raepsaet-Charlier, Marie-Thérèse. “L’inscription ‘CIL’ XI 1735 Complétée et Les ‘Venulei.’” Latomus 42, no. 1 (1983): 152–55. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41533804.</ref><ref>{{CIL|11|1433a}}</ref> His father was [[Lucius Venuleius Apronianus Octavius Priscus (consul 123)|Lucius Venuleius Apronianus Octavius Priscus]].<ref>Alföldy, ''Konsulat und Senatorenstand'', p. 323</ref>
The Venuleii family owned the magnificent villa-estate at [[Massaciuccoli]].
== Career ==
Professor [[Géza Alföldy]] states without hesitation that Priscus is of the [[patrician (ancient Rome)|patrician]] class.<ref name=Alföldy-150/> From his ''[[cursus honorum]]'' there are details that support this assertion:<ref>This list of public and sacred offices are taken from Alföldy, ''Konsulat und Senatorenstand'', p. 327</ref> Priscus began his career as one of the ''[[tresviri monetalis]]'', the most prestigious of the four boards that comprise the ''[[vigintiviri]]''; appointment to this board was usually allocated to patricians or favored individuals.<ref>[[Anthony Birley]], ''The Fasti of Roman Britain'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981), pp. 4f</ref> His service as prefect of the ''[[feriae Latinae]]'' preceded his term as [[quaestor]], possibly attached to the Roman emperor, most likely [[Hadrian]]. Priscus then achieved the office of [[praetor]] around the year 142; there is no mention of any intermediary magistracy like [[plebeian tribune]] or [[aedile]], which supports Alföldy's assertion that Priscus was a patrician. However, that he was commissioned ''[[legatus legionis]]'' or commander of [[Legio I Italica]] (dated to c. 143–144), is unusual for a patrician by the mid-second century. His suffect consulate followed his tenure as commander of the legion.
Between his first consulate and his second, Priscus was governor of the imperial province of [[Hispania Tarraconensis]]. During this period he was likely admitted to the [[collegia|collegium]] of [[augur]]s; becoming one of the augurs usually came after one held the fasces. His membership in the ''[[sodales Hadrianales]]'' and ''[[sodales|sodales Antoniani Veriani]]'', two priesthoods of lesser prestige, probably began years before this.
== References ==
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{{s-bef|before=[[Quintus Caecilius Dentilianus]]|before2=[[Marcus Antonius Pallas (consul 167)|Marcus Antonius Pallas]]|as=suffecti}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of early imperial Roman consuls|Roman consul]]|years= AD 168 |regent1=[[Lucius Sergius Paullus (consul 168)|Lucius Sergius Paullus]] II}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Quintus Tullius Maximus]],<br/>and ''ignotus''|as=suffecti}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Venuleius Apronianus Octavius Priscus, Lucius}}
[[Category:2nd-century Roman consuls]]
[[Category:Roman governors of Hispania Tarraconensis]]
[[Category:Augurs of the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Venuleii|Apronianus Octavius Priscus]]