Verus was the son of an elder Marcus Annius Verus, who gained the rank of senator and praetor. His family originated from Uccibi (modern Espejo) near Corduba (modern Córdoba) in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica. The family came to prominence and became wealthy through olive oil production in Spain.[1] He was close friends with the emperor Hadrian.
He was urban prefect of Rome and was enrolled as a patrician when Vespasian and Titus were censors. Verus was three times consul, the first time as a suffect in 97,[2] then as ordinary consul in both 121 and 126. This is apparently the cause for a "very strange inscription, found on a large marble tablet excavated in the sixteenth century at St. Peter's in Rome" which alludes to this achievement while celebrating his skill "playing with a glass ball". Edward Champlin notes it was likely the creation of a friendly rival, Lucius Julius Ursus Servianus, who also held the consulate three times the last after Verus.[3]
One explanation is that the whole thing is a joke, based on the connection between Verus' known passion for playing ball and the notion of the ball game as political juggling: an elegant, self-deprecating and rather bitter joke, one not wholly complimentary to Verus. The aged L. Iulius Servianus wrote the piece himself, had it engraved on a marble slab - perhaps accompanying it with the statue of a toga-clad bear playing ball? - and had it delivered to M. Annius Verus on the Kalends of January, 126. When next they met, the two old men affected to laugh heartily at the joke. Fantasy perhaps, but this is a very strange inscription.
He died in 138, nearly aged ninety. Marcus Aurelius says in his "Meditations": "From my grandfather Verus, [I learned] a kindly disposition and sweetness of temper".[4] In his elder years, he had a mistress, of whom he expresses gratitude that "I wasn’t raised by my grandfather's mistress for longer than I was".[5]
Family
Verus married Rupilia Faustina (fl. 90 AD), a daughter of the consul Libo Rupilius Frugi and probably Vitellia Galeria Fundania, daughter of emperor Vitellius.[6][7] Frugi also had another daughter named Rupilia who was the grandniece of emperor Trajan. Verus had at least three children by Faustina:[8]
Annia Galeria Faustina or Faustina the Elder, a future empress, who married the future emperor Antoninus Pius
^Lover of Hadrian: Lambert (1984), p. 99 and passim; deification: Lamber (1984), pp. 2–5, etc.
^Julia Balbilla a possible lover of Sabina: A. R. Birley (1997), Hadrian, the Restless Emperor, p. 251, cited in Levick (2014), p. 30, who is sceptical of this suggestion.
^Husband of Rupilia Faustina: Levick (2014), p. 163.
^The epitomator of Cassius Dio (72.22) gives the story that Faustina the Elder promised to marry Avidius Cassius. This is also echoed in HA "Marcus Aurelius" 24.
DIR contributors (2000). "De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and Their Families". Retrieved 2015-04-14.
Giacosa, Giorgio (1977). Women of the Caesars: Their Lives and Portraits on Coins. Translated by R. Ross Holloway. Milan: Edizioni Arte e Moneta. ISBN0-8390-0193-2.
Lambert, Royston (1984). Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous. New York: Viking. ISBN0-670-15708-2.
^Settipani, Christian (2000). Continuité gentilice et continuité familiale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l'époque impériale: mythe et réalité. Prosopographica et genealogica (in Italian). Vol. 2 (illustrated ed.). Unit for Prosopographical Research, Linacre College, University of Oxford. p. 278. ISBN9781900934022.
Birley, Anthony Richard (2000). Marcus Aurelius: A Biography (2nd revised ed.). Routledge. ISBN0-415-17125-3.
"Matidia the Elder". Livius.org. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
. Fofweb.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
Rodgers, N. (2005). The History and Conquests of Ancient Rome. Hermes House. ISBN1844773337.
"The Life of Marcus Aurelius: Part 1". Historia Augusta. Loeb Classical Library. 1921. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
January 06, 2023
marcus, annius, verus, grandfather, marcus, aurelius, marcus, annius, verus, paternal, grandfather, adoptive, father, roman, emperor, marcus, aurelius, father, emperor, antoninus, pius, marcus, annius, verusbornc, 50died138nationalityromanofficeconsul, praefec. Marcus Annius Verus c 50 138 AD was the paternal grandfather and adoptive father of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and father in law of emperor Antoninus Pius Marcus Annius VerusBornc 50Died138NationalityRomanOfficeConsul 97 121 126 Praefectus urbiSpouseRupilia FaustinaChildrenFaustina the ElderMarcus Annius LiboMarcus Annius Verus Contents 1 Biography 2 Family 3 Nerva Antonine family tree 4 References 5 External linksBiography EditVerus was the son of an elder Marcus Annius Verus who gained the rank of senator and praetor His family originated from Uccibi modern Espejo near Corduba modern Cordoba in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica The family came to prominence and became wealthy through olive oil production in Spain 1 He was close friends with the emperor Hadrian He was urban prefect of Rome and was enrolled as a patrician when Vespasian and Titus were censors Verus was three times consul the first time as a suffect in 97 2 then as ordinary consul in both 121 and 126 This is apparently the cause for a very strange inscription found on a large marble tablet excavated in the sixteenth century at St Peter s in Rome which alludes to this achievement while celebrating his skill playing with a glass ball Edward Champlin notes it was likely the creation of a friendly rival Lucius Julius Ursus Servianus who also held the consulate three times the last after Verus 3 One explanation is that the whole thing is a joke based on the connection between Verus known passion for playing ball and the notion of the ball game as political juggling an elegant self deprecating and rather bitter joke one not wholly complimentary to Verus The aged L Iulius Servianus wrote the piece himself had it engraved on a marble slab perhaps accompanying it with the statue of a toga clad bear playing ball and had it delivered to M Annius Verus on the Kalends of January 126 When next they met the two old men affected to laugh heartily at the joke Fantasy perhaps but this is a very strange inscription He died in 138 nearly aged ninety Marcus Aurelius says in his Meditations From my grandfather Verus I learned a kindly disposition and sweetness of temper 4 In his elder years he had a mistress of whom he expresses gratitude that I wasn t raised by my grandfather s mistress for longer than I was 5 Family EditVerus married Rupilia Faustina fl 90 AD a daughter of the consul Libo Rupilius Frugi and probably Vitellia Galeria Fundania daughter of emperor Vitellius 6 7 Frugi also had another daughter named Rupilia who was the grandniece of emperor Trajan Verus had at least three children by Faustina 8 Annia Galeria Faustina or Faustina the Elder a future empress who married the future emperor Antoninus Pius Marcus Annius Libo consul in 128 Marcus Annius Verus father to future emperor Marcus AureliusRonald Syme suggests based on onomastic evidence that they had a fourth child a daughter Annia who married Gaius Ummidius Quadratus Sertorius Severus 9 After Verus the son died in 124 the elder Verus adopted and together with his daughter in law Domitia raised their children 10 Nerva Antonine family tree EditvteNerva Antonine family treeQ Marcius Barea SoranusQ Marcius Barea SuraAntonia FurnillaM Cocceius NervaSergia PlautillaP Aelius HadrianusTitus r 79 81 Marcia FurnillaMarciaTrajanus PaterNerva r 96 98 Ulpia i Aelius Hadrianus MarullinusFlavia ii Marciana iii C Salonius Matidius iv Trajan r 98 117 PlotinaP Acilius AttianusP Aelius Afer v Paulina Major vi Lucius Mindius 2 Libo Rupilius Frugi 3 Salonia Matidia vii L Vibius Sabinus 1 viii Paulina Minor vi L Julius Ursus Servianus ix Matidia Minor vii Suetonius x Sabina iii Hadrian v xi vi r 117 138 Antinous xii Julia Balbilla xiii C Fuscus Salinator IJulia Serviana PaulinaM Annius Verus xiv Rupilia Faustina xv xvi Boionia ProcillaCn Arrius AntoninusL Ceionius CommodusAppia SeveraC Fuscus Salinator IIL Caesennius PaetusArria AntoninaArria Fadilla xvii T Aurelius FulvusL Caesennius AntoninusL CommodusPlautiaignota xviii C Avidius NigrinusM Annius Verus xv Domitia Calvilla xix Fundania xx M Annius Libo xv FAUSTINA xvii Antoninus Pius r 138 161 xvii L Aelius Caesar xviii Avidia xviii Cornificia xv MARCUS AURELIUS r 161 180 xxi FAUSTINA Minor xxi C Avidius Cassius xxii Aurelia Fadilla xvii LUCIUS VERUS r 161 169 xviii 1 Ceionia Fabia xviii Plautius Quintillus xxiii Q Servilius PudensCeionia Plautia xviii Cornificia Minor xxiv M Petronius SuraCOMMODUS r 177 192 xxi Fadilla xxiv M Annius Verus Caesar xxi Ti Claudius Pompeianus 2 Lucilla xxi M Plautius Quintillus xviii Junius Licinius BalbusServilia CeioniaPetronius AntoninusL Aurelius Agaclytus 2 Aurelia Sabina xxiv L Antistius Burrus 1 Plautius QuintillusPlautia ServillaC Furius Sabinus TimesitheusAntonia GordianaJunius Licinius Balbus Furia Sabina TranquillinaGORDIAN III r 238 244 1 1st spouse 2 2nd spouse 3 3rd spouse Reddish purple indicates emperor of the Nerva Antonine dynasty lighter purple indicates designated imperial heir of said dynasty who never reigned grey indicates unsuccessful imperial aspirants bluish purple indicates emperors of other dynasties dashed lines indicate adoption dotted lines indicate love affairs unmarried relationships small caps posthumously deified Augusti Augustae or other Notes Except where otherwise noted the notes below indicate that an individual s parentage is as shown in the above family tree Sister of Trajan s father Giacosa 1977 p 7 Giacosa 1977 p 8 a b Levick 2014 p 161 Husband of Ulpia Marciana Levick 2014 p 161 a b Giacosa 1977 p 7 a b c DIR contributor Herbert W Benario 2000 Hadrian a b Giacosa 1977 p 9 Husband of Salonia Matidia Levick 2014 p 161 Smith 1870 Julius Servianus Suetonius a possible lover of Sabina One interpretation of HA Hadrianus 11 3 Smith 1870 Hadrian pp 319 322 Lover of Hadrian Lambert 1984 p 99 and passim deification Lamber 1984 pp 2 5 etc Julia Balbilla a possible lover of Sabina A R Birley 1997 Hadrian the Restless Emperor p 251 cited in Levick 2014 p 30 who is sceptical of this suggestion Husband of Rupilia Faustina Levick 2014 p 163 a b c d Levick 2014 p 163 It is uncertain whether Rupilia Faustina was Frugi s daughter by Salonia Matidia or another woman a b c d Levick 2014 p 162 a b c d e f g Levick 2014 p 164 Wife of M Annius Verus Giacosa 1977 p 10 Wife of M Annius Libo Levick 2014 p 163 a b c d e Giacosa 1977 p 10 The epitomator of Cassius Dio 72 22 gives the story that Faustina the Elder promised to marry Avidius Cassius This is also echoed in HA Marcus Aurelius 24 Husband of Ceionia Fabia Levick 2014 p 164 a b c Levick 2014 p 117 References DIR contributors 2000 De Imperatoribus Romanis An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and Their Families Retrieved 2015 04 14 Giacosa Giorgio 1977 Women of the Caesars Their Lives and Portraits on Coins Translated by R Ross Holloway Milan Edizioni Arte e Moneta ISBN 0 8390 0193 2 Lambert Royston 1984 Beloved and God The Story of Hadrian and Antinous New York Viking ISBN 0 670 15708 2 Levick Barbara 2014 Faustina I and II Imperial Women of the Golden Age Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 537941 9 Smith William ed 1870 Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology References Edit Anthony Birley Marcus Aurelius a Biography London Routledge 1987 p 28 Fausto Zevi I consoli del 97 d Cr in due framenti gia editi dei Fasti Ostienses Listy filologicke Folia philologica 96 1973 pp 125 137 Champlin The Glass Ball Game Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik 60 1985 pp 159 163 Marcus Aurelius Meditations i 1 Marcus Aurelius Meditations i 17 Rupilius Strachan stemma Settipani Christian 2000 Continuite gentilice et continuite familiale dans les familles senatoriales romaines a l epoque imperiale mythe et realite Prosopographica et genealogica in Italian Vol 2 illustrated ed Unit for Prosopographical Research Linacre College University of Oxford p 278 ISBN 9781900934022 Birley Marcus Aurelius pp 28f Syme Ummidius Quadratus Capax Imperii Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 83 1979 p 308 Birley Marcus Aurelius p 31 Political officesPreceded byGnaeus Arrius Antoninus IIGaius Calpurnius Pisoas Suffect consuls Roman consul97 suffect with Lucius Neratius Priscus Succeeded byLucius Domitius ApollinarisSextus Hermentidius Campanusas Suffect consulsPreceded byGaius Carminius GallusGaius Atilius Serranusas Suffect consuls Roman consul II121with Gnaeus Arrius Augur Succeeded byMarcus Herennius FaustusQuintus Pomponius Marcellusas Suffect consulsPreceded byQuintus Vetina VerusPublius Lucius Cosconianusas Suffect consuls Roman consul III126with Gaius Eggius Ambibulus Succeeded byLucius Valerius PropinquusGaius Eggius AmbibulusExternal links EditAurelius Marcus 167 Meditations Birley Anthony Richard 2000 Marcus Aurelius A Biography 2nd revised ed Routledge ISBN 0 415 17125 3 Matidia the Elder Livius org Retrieved 24 March 2020 Faustina Annia Galeria 1 Fofweb com Archived from the original on 30 September 2007 Retrieved 26 January 2007 Rodgers N 2005 The History and Conquests of Ancient Rome Hermes House ISBN 1844773337 The Life of Marcus Aurelius Part 1 Historia Augusta Loeb Classical Library 1921 Retrieved 27 June 2015 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Marcus Annius Verus grandfather of Marcus Aurelius amp oldid 1087658596, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
