Statue base in honour of the praet. prefect Q. Fl. Maesius Egnatius Lollianus signo Mavortius by his son Placidus Severus and his daughter-in-law Antonia Marcianilla from his domus on the Aventine hill (Rome)
source date: 355/356 AD
edition published: 2020-03-27
availability: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)

Mavortii, Flavio Lolliano viro clarissimo, quaestori kandidato, praetori urbano, curatori alvei Tiberis et operum maximorum et aquarum, consulari Campaniae, comiti intra Palatium et vice sacra iudicanti, comiti Orientis vice sacra iudicanti, proconsuli provinciae Africae et vice sacra iudicanti, praefecto urbis et vice sacra iudicanti, iterum comiti ordinis primi intra Palatium, praefecto praetorio, consuli ordinario Placidus Severus vir clarissimus filius patri religioso et Antonia Marcianilla clarissima femina nurus socero sanctissimo.

This edition is based on CIL 06, 37112.

“(Statue) of Mavortius. To Fl(avius) Lollianus, of clarissimus rank, quaestor canditate (by the emperor), urban praetor, superintendent of the Tiber and its course, of the major works and aqueducts, consularis of Campania, count inside the imperial Palace and judge with the power to institute sacred trials, count of the East and judge with the power to institute sacred trials, proconsul of the province of Africa and judge with the power to institute sacred trials, prefect of the City and judge with the power to institute sacred trials, for the second time count of the first order in the imperial Palace, praetorian prefect, ordinary consul, his son Placidus Severus, of clarissimus rank, to his father worshipper of the gods, and his daughter-in-law Antonia Marcianilla, woman of clarissimus rank, to her extremely virtuous father-in-law.”

“(Statue) de Mavortius. Au clarissime Fl(avius) Lollianus, questeur candidat, préteur urbain, surintendant du cours du Tibre, des grandes œuvres et des aqueducs, consulaire de Campanie, comte dans le Palais impérial et juge avec la faculté d’instituer des procès sacrés, comte d’Orient et juge avec la faculté d’instituer des procès sacrés, proconsul de la province d’Afrique et juge avec la faculté d’instituer des procès sacrés, préfet de Rome et juge avec la faculté d’instituer des procès sacrés, pour la deuxième fois comte de premier ordre au Palais impérial, préfet du prétoire, consul, son fils, le clarissime Placidus Severus, à son père dévoué des dieux, et sa belle-fille, la clarissime Antonia Marcianilla, au beau-père très vertueux.”

“(Statua) di Mavortius. Al chiarissimo Fl(avius) Lollianus, questore candidato, pretore urbano, sovrintendente del corso del Tevere, delle grandi opere e degli acquedotti, consolare della Campania, conte all’interno del palazzo imperiale e giudice con la facoltà di istituire sacri processi, conte d’Oriente e giudice con la facoltà di istituire sacri processi, proconsole della provincia d’Africa e giudice con la facoltà di istituire sacri processi, prefetto di Roma e giudice con la facoltà di istituire sacri processi, per la seconda volta conte del primo ordine all’interno del palazzo imperiale, prefetto del pretorio, console ordinario, suo figlio, il chiarissimo Placidus Severus, al padre devoto agli dèi, e sua nuora, la chiarissima Antonia Marcianilla, al suocero particolarmente virtuoso.”

The inscription is chiselled on a fragmentary plaque that had originally been joined to a statue base and broken into two parts (CIL 06, 01723 and CIL 06, 01757). The two fragments fit together perfectly, but only the lower half has survived. This fragmentary plaque preserves an honorific inscription to Quintus Flavius Maesius Egnatius Lollianus signo Mavortius (PLRE I, Lollianus 2, pp. 512-514) awarded by his son, Placidus Severus (PLRE I, Severus 28, pp. 836-837), and his daughter-in-law Antonia Marcianilla (PLRE I, p. 553).

The exact findspot of the upper fragment, now lost and only preserved by its transcription in some 15th Century manuscripts, is not clear: Justus Lipsius records that it was found in “Piazza dei Comi” (see CIL 06, 01723), but more probably, as Pirrus Ligorius stated (Taur. 15, fol. 54r), it came from the Aventine hill, near the church of S. Alessio where the lower half was unearthed in 1880 (see CIL 06, 01757).

These fragments were found at different times, and they were only considered part of the same monument in 1905. The acephalous base, without the name of the dedicatee and referring only to the last part of a cursus honorum, was already supposed to belong to Lollianus signo Mavortius by B. Borghesi (1872, pp. 261-262) and A.C. Pallu De Lessert (1901, pp. 138-140), even if they had still not made the connection between this fragment and the other that was lost (CIL 06, 01723). In 1905 O. Seeck noted that these two fragments matched perfectly (CIL 06, 01723 ends with Ori- and CIL 06, 01757 begins with -entis) and that the resulting career coincided with that of Lollianus signo Mavortius; so he put them together (CIL 06, 37112; Seeck 1905, pp. 283-285; cf. Cantarelli 1906, pp. 15-17). The familial character of this honorific text suggests that the statue base was erected in a domestic space, most probably within the domus of Mavortius himself or, failing that, in the house of his son Placidus, both of which may well have been located on the Aventine hill, coinciding where the inscription was found (Guidobaldi 1995, p. 132).

Quintus Flavius Maesius Egnatius Lollianus signo Mavortius descended from an ancient italic senatorial family, the Caecina Sabini (on his family, see Chastagnol 1961, pp. 749-751), but was also kin to the Egnatii Proculi (Camodeca 2018, p. 396, nt. 145), the Fabii Maesii Tatiani and other nobles (Chausson 1997, pp. 295-297). This highly esteemed representative of the roman aristocracy is not only commemorated in numerous inscriptions, he also features in many literary sources. Combined they offer, quite exceptionally, every detail of his long and distinguished cursus honorum.

A group of five Campanian inscriptions (CIL 10, 01695 = ILS 1224a = LSA 332 = EDR 108156; CIL 10, 01696 = ILS 1224c = LSA 43 = EDR 155039; ILS 1224b = AE 1977, 0199 = LSA 1909 = EDR 076735; AE 1977, 0198 = LSA 47 = EDR 076734; CIL 10, 04752 = ILS 1223 = LSA 1970 = EDR 115525), that Lollianus received as patron by the Regiones Puteolanae and of Suessa Aurunca (the last one), and a dedication to Constantine by him in Rome that was fortunately dated (March 1st, 328 AD: CIL 06, 36951 (cf. p. 4354) = ILS 8943 = LSA 1366 = EDR 071805), quote the first part of his career up to 337 AD.

Q. Fl. Maesius Egnatius Lollianus signo Mavortius was quaestor candidatus at a very young age, as was probably the case for his son Placidus Severus when he was made clarissimus puer (see CIL 10, 01697 = ILS 1226 = LSA 335 = EDR 108157); praetor urbanus (in 319/320 AD, according to Lonardi 2013, p. 154); comes dominorum nostrorum Augustorum et Caesarum (attested only in CIL 10, 04752 = ILS 1223 = LSA 1970 = EDR 115525), that De Bonfils (1981, p. 9) and Scharf (1994, p. 70) date after 324 AD, in order to explain the grant of such an important honour at such a young age due to the political crisis, following Licinius’ defeat, but Lonardi (2013, p. 154) suggests before 324 AD. Almost simultaneously, he held a priestly office as augur publicus, in 320/325 AD (Chastagnol 1962, p. 120), which is recorded in all the inscriptions concerning him except for the later Roman one examined here (Arnheim 1972, pp. 80-82; Cameron 2011, p. 159). Later, Lollianus was entrusted with three urban curatorships: consularis alvei Tiberis et cloacarum (in 321/323 AD), consularis operum publicorum maximorum (in 325/327 AD, cf. Lonardi 2013, p. 154) and consularis aquarum et Miniciae, an old senatorial curatela, the tenure of which can be precisely dated to 328 AD, thanks to a monument that Lollianus dedicated to Costantine when he was holding this office (CIL 06, 36951, mentioned above; about the post of curator and consularis aquarum, see PPRET 39).

Between 329-333 AD Mavortius became consularis Campaniae (Cecconi 1994, p. 214), during which time Mavortius strengthened important relationships of patronage, something that can be inferred from the extraordinary number of statues (see above) that the Regiones Puteolanae elevated to their powerful patron between 337 AD and 342 AD (dated by his African proconsulate and the missing reference to the urban prefecture, see below). According to Camodeca (2018, pp. 360-369), these statues may be related to the establishment of the free frumentationes in Pozzuoli under Constantine, possibly introduced while Mavortius was working as an intermediary between the Campanian city and the emperor.

His next post as comes Flavialis is worthy of mention. The appointment appears in almost all the Campanian inscriptions and, since the position is epigraphically rarely attested, it was frequently associated to other comitivae, like that of dominorum nostrorum Augustorum (Seeck 1900, p. 630) or primi ordinis (De Bonfils 1981, p. 13). Nevertheless the comitiva Flavialis of Lollianus signo Mavortius, that he held in all likelihood around 333-334 AD, cannot coincide with the comitiva dominorum nostrorum Augustorum, that is clearly listed chronologically before, that is to say between the praetura and auguratus (see CIL 10, 04752 = ILS 1223 = LSA 1970 = EDR 115525). Furthermore, the comitiva Flavialis appears to be clearly distinct from the comitiva primi ordinis in more than one inscription (see CIL 10, 01695; CIL 10, 01696; ILS 1224b; AE 1977, 0198). This special appointment was introduced around 333 AD by Constantine and is no longer attested after the emperor’s death (Scharf 1994, p. 67; De Bonfils 1981, pp. 11-17, Moser 2018, p. 77). Its nature is hard to understand: Scharf (1994, pp. 65-70) supposed this comitiva consisted of an entourage, that was not only at the personal service of Constantine, but also of all the Caesars and thus free of any regional interference. Therefore, the recently created comitiva Flavialis appears in all the Campanian inscriptions of 337 AD but, after that date, the title fell gradually into disuse, leaving in its wake a variation in the terminology that perhaps corresponds to the comes intra Palatium that features in our later inscription in Rome.

Around 335 AD Lollianus was elevated to comes Orientis and as such was probably one of the first dignitaries to attain this office (Downey 1939, p. 12; Moser 2018, p. 21). At this point, a comitiva ordinis primi, likely dating to 336 AD, is attested in four Campanian inscriptions, but not in the later one from the Aventine hill (see Scharf 1994, pp. 11-14, who attributed such discrepancies to mistakes of the stone-cutter or errors in the manuscript tradition). The following position of proconsulatus Africae could be dated to 336/337 AD thanks to a key piece of literary evidence (Chastagnol 1962, p. 119; Barnes 1985, p. 145). Indeed, Lollianus had an important book of astrology dedicated to him. The “Mathesis,” written by Firmicus Maternus, refers not only to Lollianus' career, but to his ardent pagan beliefs as well. In all likelihood, the “Mathesis” was composed in 337 AD (Barnes 1975, p. 40; Sogno 2005, p. 167), which was when Lollianus was addressed as proconsuli (i. e. Africae) itaque tibi et ordinario consuli designato promissa reddimus (Firm., Math. 01, praef. 08), when Constantine was still alive. Therefore, in addition to being proconsul Africae, Lollianus also received in the same period a formal designation to become ordinary consul (338 AD). However, his name does not appear in the consular fasti of that year and Lollianus became offically consul only eighteen years later (355 AD, see below), perhaps since, as Sogno (2005, p. 167) states, «Constantine's death prevented Lollianus from attaining the consulship the following year and [...] Lollianus did not enjoy the favour of Constantine’s heirs», or simply because his son Constans revoked the designation of his father (Chastagnol 1962, p. 119; CLRE, p. 19), but it seems implausible that «Lollianus fell from imperial favour owing to the dedication to him of this work on astrology» (PLRE I, p. 513).

Our last Roman dedication from the family house on the Aventine hill recorded also, in addition to the posts previously mentioned, the last part of his cursus honorum after 337 AD. Lollianus gained the praefectura urbis from April 1st to July 6th 342 AD (MGH AA 09, Chron. Min. 01, p. 68; Chastagnol 1962, pp. 114-121) and then the comitiva ordinis primi intra palatium, living at the court of Milan for a period (Chastagnol 1962, p. 119). Nevertheless, his career appears to have been interrupted for some time, before resuming again as praefectus praetorio under Constantius II in 355-356 AD (CTh 06, 29, 01; CTh 11, 30, 25; CTh 11, 36, 11; Amm. 15, 03, 08; CTh 15, 08, 05-07), when the emperor regained control over the western prefectures after the final defeat of the usurper Magnentius. Ammianus (Amm. 16, 08, 05-07) places his prefectural mandate in Illyricum in 356 AD (cf. PLRE I, pp. 513-514; Vogler 1979, p. 122; Barnes 1992, p. 259). On the other hand, Palanque (1955, p. 261) suggested that he succeed Vulcacius Rufinus (see PPRET 32) as praetorian prefect of Gauls before 356 AD, instead Stein (1934, p. 332) argued that during his prefecture Lollianus was transferred from Gauls to Italy between 355 and 356 AD. It seems very likely that in 355-356 AD Mavortius was praetorian prefect of Illyricum, while Volusianus Lampadius was praetorian prefect of Italy (see PPRET 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41) and Flavius Taurus was praetorian prefect of Africa (see PPRET 46). After the trial against Rufinus, princeps of the bureau of the praetorian prefect in Sirmium, which ended in 356 and was described by Ammianus (above), the sources fall silent. Mavortius' successor in the prefecture of Illyricum could be Vindaeonius Anatolius (see PPRET 47). He finally became consul in 355 AD (CLRE, pp. 244-245). As was often the case in the later Roman Empire, a praetorian prefect held the prestigious ordinary consulship during his prefecture.

CIL 06, 01723 (a) + CIL 06, 01757 (b) = CIL 06, 37112 (cf. p. 4819) ILS 1225 (a) + ILS 1232 (b) Seeck 1905, p. 284 Cantarelli 1906, p. 16 Lugli 1953, p. 93, nr. 150 Lugli 1955, p. 213, nr. 521 Chastagnol 1962, p. 116 Arnheim 1972, pp. 80-81 Weiss 1975, pp. 19-20 Scharf 1994, pp. 11-12

SupplIt Imagines, Roma (CIL, VI) 1: Musei Capitolini, nr. 218

EDCS 18100530 EDR 114651 LSA 1426 TM 276445

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praef(ecto) praet(orio)