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Antoninus Pius

Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius(19 September AD 86 – 7 March 161) wasRoman emperorfrom AD 138 to 161. He was the fourth of theFive Good Emperorsfrom theNerva–Antonine dynasty.[3]

Antoninus Pius
White bust
Bust in theGlyptothek,Munich
Roman emperor
Reign11 July 138 – 7 March 161
PredecessorHadrian
SuccessorMarcus AureliusandLucius Verus
BornTitus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Antoninus[1]
19 September 86
Lanuvium,Italia,Roman Empire
Died7 March 161 (aged 74)
Lorium,Italia, Roman Empire
Burial
Hadrian's Mausoleum
SpouseAnnia Galeria Faustina
Issue
Detail
Names
Titus Aelius Caesar Antoninus (after adoption)[2]
Regnal name
Imperator Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius[2]
DynastyNerva–Antonine
Father
Mother
Denarius,struck 140 AD with portrait of Antoninus Pius (obverse) and his adoptive sonMarcus Aurelius(reverse). Inscription: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P. P., TR. P., CO[N]S. III / AVRELIVS CAES. AVG. PII F. CO[N]S.

Born into a senatorial family, Antoninus held various offices during the reign of EmperorHadrian.He married Hadrian's nieceFaustina,and Hadrian adopted him as his son and successor shortly before his death. Antoninus acquired thecognomenPiusafter his accession to the throne, either because he compelled theSenatetodeifyhis adoptive father,[4]or because he had saved senators sentenced to death by Hadrian in his later years.[5]His reign is notable for the peaceful state of the Empire, with no major revolts or military incursions during this time. A successful military campaign insouthern Scotlandearly in his reign resulted in the construction of theAntonine Wall.

Antoninus was an effective administrator, leaving his successors a large surplus in the treasury, expanding free access to drinking water throughout the Empire, encouraging legal conformity, and facilitating the enfranchisement of freed slaves. He died of illness in AD 161 and was succeeded by his adopted sonsMarcus AureliusandLucius Verusas co-emperors.

Early life

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Childhood and family

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Antoninus Pius was born Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Antoninus nearLanuvium(modern-dayLanuvio) inItalytoTitus Aurelius Fulvus,consulin 89, and wifeArria Fadilla.[3][6]The Aurelii Fulvi were anAurelianfamily settled inNemausus(modernNîmes).[7]Titus Aurelius Fulvus was the son of a senator of the same name, who, as legate ofLegio III Gallica,had supportedVespasianin his bid to the Imperial office and been rewarded with a suffect consulship, plus an ordinary one underDomitianin 85. The Aurelii Fulvi were therefore a relatively new senatorial family fromGallia Narbonensiswhose rise to prominence was supported by theFlavians.[8]The link between Antoninus' family and their home province explains the increasing importance of the post ofproconsulof Gallia Narbonensis during the late second century.[9]

Antoninus' father had no other children and died shortly after his 89 ordinary consulship. Antoninus was raised by his maternal grandfatherGnaeus Arrius Antoninus,[3]reputed by contemporaries to be a man of integrity and culture and a friend ofPliny the Younger.[10]The Arrii Antonini were an older senatorial family from Italy, very influential duringNerva's reign. Arria Fadilla, Antoninus' mother, married afterwardsPublius Julius Lupus,suffect consul in 98; from that marriage came two daughters, Arria Lupula and Julia Fadilla.[11]

Marriage and children

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Statue of Faustina the Elder in theGetty Villa

Some time between 110 and 115, Antoninus married Annia GaleriaFaustina the Elder.[12]They are believed to have enjoyed a happy marriage. Faustina was the daughter of consulMarcus Annius Verus (II)[3]andRupilia Faustina(a step-sister to the EmpressVibia Sabina).[13][14]Faustina was a beautiful woman, and despite rumours about her character, it is clear that Antoninus cared for her deeply.[15]

Faustina bore Antoninus four children, two sons and two daughters.[16]They were:

  • Marcus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (died before 138); his sepulchral inscription has been found at theMausoleum of Hadrianin Rome.[17][18]
  • Marcus Galerius Aurelius Antoninus (died before 138); his sepulchral inscription has been found at the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome.[17][19]His name appears on a Greek Imperial coin.
  • Aurelia Fadilla (died in 135); she marriedLucius Plautius Lamia Silvanus,consul 145. She appeared to have no children with her husband; and her sepulchral inscription has been found inItaly.[20]
  • Annia Galeria Faustina Minor orFaustina the Younger(between 125 and 130–175), a future Roman Empress, married her maternal cousinMarcus Aureliusin 146.[7]

When Faustina died in 141, Antoninus was greatly distressed.[21]In honour of her memory, he asked theSenateto deify her as a goddess, and authorised the construction of a temple to be built in theRoman Forumin her name, with priestesses serving in her temple.[22]He had various coins with her portrait struck in her honor. These coins were scripted "DIVA FAUSTINA" and were elaborately decorated. He further founded a charity, calling itPuellae FaustinianaeorGirls of Faustina,which assisted destitute girls[12]of good family.[23]Finally, Antoninus created a newalimenta,a Roman welfare programme, as part ofCura Annonae.

The emperor never remarried. Instead, he lived withGaleria Lysistrate,[24]one of Faustina's freed women.Concubinagewas a form of female companionship sometimes chosen by powerful men in Ancient Rome, especially widowers likeVespasian,andMarcus Aurelius.Their union could not produce any legitimate offspring who could threaten any heirs, such as those of Antoninus. Also, as one could not have a wife and an official concubine (or two concubines) at the same time, Antoninus avoided being pressed into a marriage with a noblewoman from another family. (Later, Marcus Aurelius would also reject the advances of his former fiancée Ceionia Fabia, Lucius Verus's sister, on the grounds of protecting his children from a stepmother, and took a concubine instead.)[25][26][27]

Favour with Hadrian

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Marble bust of Antoninus Pius (138–161); British Museum, London

Having filled the offices ofquaestorandpraetorwith more than usual success,[28]he obtained theconsulshipin 120[12]having as his colleagueLucius Catilius Severus.[29]He was next appointed by the EmperorHadrianas one of the fourproconsulsto administerItalia,[30]his district includingEtruria,where he had estates.[31]He then greatly increased his reputation by his conduct as proconsul ofAsia,probably during 134–135.[30]

He acquired much favor with Hadrian, who adopted him as his son and successor on 25 February 138,[32]after the death of his first adopted sonLucius Aelius,[33]on the condition that Antoninus would in turn adopt Marcus Annius Verus, the son of his wife's brother, and Lucius, son of Lucius Aelius, who afterwards became the emperorsMarcus AureliusandLucius Verus.[12]He also adopted (briefly) the name Imperator Titus Aelius Caesar Antoninus, in preparation for his rule.[34]There seems to have been some opposition to Antoninus' appointment on the part of other potential claimants, among them his former consular colleague Lucius Catilius Severus, then prefect of the city. Nevertheless, Antoninus assumed power without opposition.[35]

Emperor

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The Roman Empire during the reign of Antoninus Pius

On his accession, Antoninus' name and style becameImperatorCaesarTitus AeliusHadrianusAntoninusAugustusPontifex Maximus.One of his first acts as emperor was to persuade theSenateto grant divine honours to Hadrian, which they had at first refused;[36]his efforts to persuade the Senate to grant these honours is the most likely reason given for his title ofPius(dutiful in affection; comparepietas).[37]Two other reasons for this title are that he would support his aged father-in-law with his hand at Senate meetings, and that he had saved those men that Hadrian, during his period of ill-health, had condemned to death.[7]

Immediately after Hadrian's death, Antoninus approached Marcus and requested that his marriage arrangements be amended: Marcus' betrothal to Ceionia Fabia would be annulled, and he would be betrothed to Faustina, Antoninus' daughter, instead. Faustina's betrothal to Ceionia's brotherLucius Commodus,Marcus' future co-Emperor, would also have to be annulled. Marcus consented to Antoninus' proposal.[38][39]

Antoninus built temples, theaters, and mausoleums, promoted the arts and sciences, and bestowed honours and financial rewards upon the teachers ofrhetoricandphilosophy.[12]Antoninus made few initial changes when he became emperor, leaving intact as far as possible the arrangements instituted by Hadrian.[36]Epigraphicalandprosopographicalresearch has revealed that Antoninus' imperial ruling team centered around a group of closely knit senatorial families, most of them members of the priestly congregation for the cult of Hadrian, thesodales Hadrianales.According to the German historianH.G. Pflaum,prosopographical research of Antoninus' ruling team allows us to grasp the deeply conservative character of the ruling senatorialcaste.[40]

He owned palatial villas atLorium(Etruria) andVilla Magna(Latium).

Christian tradition about the persecution of Paraskevi of Rome

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There is a Christian tradition that in the village of Therapia, Constantinople,Paraskevi of Romewas arrested by soldiers of EmperorAntoninus Pius,and brought to trial. The charge was blasphemy and her words were the cause of all the ills that had recently befallen the empire.[41]Antoninus Pius attempted to convince Paraskevi to denounce her faith, and even offered to marry her.[citation needed]Paraskevi refused, and was beaten and tortured by having a steel helmet lined with nails placed on her head and tightened with a vice.[42]No pain seemed to affect her, and her endurance caused many to convert toChristianity.Eventually, at his wit's end, Antoninus Pius demanded that Paraskevi be immersed into a large kettle of oil and tar. However, she emerged from even this unscathed. When she was accused of using magic, Paraskevi responded by throwing the liquid into the Emperor's face. He was blinded and desperately asked for her help. Antoninus Pius regained his sight. This miracle moved him to convert to Christianity and set Paraskevi free.[42]He did not persecute Christians thereafter.[43]

Lack of warfare

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The temple of Antoninus andFaustinain theRoman Forum(now the church ofSan Lorenzo in Miranda). The emperor and hisAugustawere deified after their death byMarcus Aurelius.

There are no records of any military related acts in his time in which he participated. One modern scholar has written "It is almost certain not only that at no time in his life did he ever see, let alone command, a Roman army, but that, throughout the twenty-three years of his reign, he never went within five hundred miles of a legion."[44]

His reign was the most peaceful in the entire history of thePrincipate,[45]notwithstanding the fact that there were several military disturbances in the Empire in his time. Such disturbances happened inMauretania,where a senator was named as governor ofMauretania Tingitanain place of the usual equestrian procurator[46]and cavalry reinforcements fromPannoniawere brought in,[47]towns such asSalaandTipasabeing fortified.[48]Similar disturbances took place inJudea,and amongst theBrigantesinBritannia;however, these were considered less serious than prior (and later) revolts among both.[45]It was however in Britain that Antoninus decided to follow a new, more aggressive path, with the appointment of a new governor in 139,Quintus Lollius Urbicus,[36]a native ofNumidiaand previously governor ofGermania Inferior[49]as well as anew man.[50]

Under instructions from the emperor, Lollius undertook an invasion of southernScotland,winning some significant victories, and constructing theAntonine Wall[51]from theFirth of Forthto theFirth of Clyde.The wall, however, was soon gradually decommissioned during the mid-150s and eventually abandoned late during the reign (early 160s), for reasons that are still not quite clear.[52][53]Antonine's Wall is mentioned in just one literary source, Antoninus' biography in theHistoria Augusta.Pausaniasmakes a brief and confused mention of a war in Britain. In one inscription honouring Antoninus, erected byLegio II Augusta,which participated in the building of the Wall,a relief showing four naked prisoners,one of them beheaded, seems to stand for some actual warfare.[54]

Statue of Antoninus Pius in military garb andmuscle cuirass,from theMuseo Chiaramonti(Vatican Museums)

Although Antonine's Wall was, in principle, much shorter (37 miles in length as opposed to 73), and at first sight more defensible than Hadrian's Wall, the additional area that it enclosed within the Empire was barren, with land use for grazing already in decay.[55]This meant that supply lines to the wall were strained enough such as the costs for maintaining the additional territory outweighed the benefits of doing so.[56]Also, in the absence of urban development and the ensuing Romanization process, the rear of the wall could not be lastingly pacified.[57]

It has been therefore speculated that the invasion of Lowland Scotland and the building of the wall had to do mostly with internal politics, that is, offering Antoninus an opportunity to gain some modicum of necessary military prestige at the start of his reign. Actually, the campaign in Britannia was followed by an Imperial salutation, that is, by Antoninus formally taking for the second (and last) time the title ofImperatorin 142.[58]The fact that around the same time coins were struck announcing a victory in Britain points to Antoninus' need to publicise his achievements.[59]The oratorFrontowas later to say that, although Antoninus bestowed the direction of the British campaign to others, he should be regarded as the helmsman who directed the voyage, whose glory, therefore, belonged to him.[60]

That this quest for some military achievement responded to an actual need is proved by the fact that, although generally peaceful, Antoninus' reign was not free from attempts at usurpation:Historia Augustamentions two, made by the senators Cornelius Priscianus ( "for disturbing the peace of Spain";[61]Priscianus had also been Lollius Urbicus' successor as governor of Britain) and Atilius Rufius Titianus (possibly a troublemaker already exiled under Hadrian[62]). Both attempts are confirmed by theFasti Ostiensesas well as by the erasing of Priscianus' name from an inscription.[63]In both cases, Antoninus was not in formal charge of the ensuing repression: Priscianus committed suicide and Titianus was found guilty by the Senate, with Antoninus abstaining from sequestering their families' properties.[64]

A coin of Antoninus Pius showing a subduedParthia(PAR-TH-IAon the reverse) handing the crown to him, an empty claim that Parthia was still subject to Rome after the events surroundingParthamaspates[65]

There were also some troubles inDacia Inferiorwhich required the granting of additional powers to theprocuratorgovernor and the dispatch of additional soldiers to the province.[52]On the northernBlack Seacoast, the Greek city ofOlbiawas held against theScythians.[66]Also during his reign the governor ofUpper Germany,probably Gaius Popillius Carus Pedo, built new fortifications in theAgri Decumates,advancing theLimes Germanicusfifteen miles forward in his province and neighboringRaetia.[67]In the East, Roman suzerainty overArmeniawas retained by the choice in AD 140 ofArsacidscionSohaemusas client king.[68]

Nevertheless, Antoninus was virtually unique among emperors in that he dealt with these crises without leaving Italy once during his reign,[69]but instead dealt with provincial matters of war and peace through their governors or through imperial letters to the cities such as Ephesus (of which some were publicly displayed). This style of government was highly praised by his contemporaries and by later generations.[70]

Antoninus was the last Roman Emperor recognised by the Indian Kingdoms, especially theKushan Empire.[71]Raoul McLaughlin quotes Aurelius Victor as saying "The Indians, the Bactrians, and the Hyrcanians all sent ambassadors to Antoninus. They had all heard about the spirit of justice held by this great emperor, justice that was heightened by his handsome and grave countenance, and his slim and vigorous figure." Due to the outbreak of the Antonine epidemic and wars against northern Germanic tribes, the reign of Marcus Aurelius was forced to alter the focus of foreign policies, and matters relating to the Far East were increasingly abandoned in favour of those directly concerning the Empire's survival.[71]

Economy and administration

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Anaureusof Antoninus Pius, 145 AD. Inscription: ANTONINVSAVGPIVSPP/TRPOTCOSIIII

Antoninus was regarded as a skilled administrator and as a builder. In spite of an extensive building directive—the free access of the people of Rome to drinking water was expanded with the construction of aqueducts, not only in Rome but throughout the Empire, as well as bridges and roads—the emperor still managed to leave behind a sizable public treasury of around 2.7 billionsesterces.Rome would not witness another Emperor leaving his successor with a surplus for a long time, but this treasury was depleted almost immediately after Antoninus's reign due to theAntonine Plaguebrought back by soldiers after the Parthian victory.[72]

The Emperor also famously suspended the collection of taxes from multiple cities affected by natural disasters, such as when fires struck Rome and Narbona, and earthquakes affectedRhodesand theProvince of Asia.He offered hefty financial grants for rebuilding and recovery of various Greek cities after two serious earthquakes: the first,circa140, which affected mostly Rhodes and other islands; the second, in 152, which hitCyzicus(where the huge and newly built Temple to Hadrian was destroyed[73]),Ephesus,andSmyrna.Antoninus' financial help earned him praise by Greek writers such asAelius Aristidesand Pausanias.[74]These cities received from Antoninus the usual honorific accolades, such as when he commanded that all governors of Asia should enter the province, when taking office, by way of Ephesus.[75]Ephesus was specially favoured by Antoninus, who confirmed and upheld its distinction of having two temples for the imperial cult (neocorate), therefore having first place in the list of imperial honor titles, surpassing both Smyrna andPergamon.[76]

In his dealings with Greek-speaking cities, Antoninus followed the policy adopted by Hadrian of ingratiating himself with local elites, especially with local intellectuals: philosophers, teachers of literature, rhetoricians and physicians were explicitly exempted from any duties involving private spending for civic purposes, a privilege granted by Hadrian that Antoninus confirmed by means of an edict preserved in theDigest(27.1.6.8).[77]Antoninus also created a chair for the teaching of rhetoric inAthens.[78]

Antoninus was known as an avid observer of rites of religion and of formal celebrations, both Roman and foreign. He is known for having increasingly formalized the official cult offered to theGreat Mother,which from his reign onwards included a bull sacrifice, ataurobolium,formerly only a private ritual, now being also performed for the sake of the Emperor's welfare.[79]Antoninus also offered patronage to the worship ofMithras,to whom he erected a temple inOstia.[80]In 148, he presided over the celebrations of the 900th anniversary of the founding of Rome.

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Copy inscribed in marble of a letter from Antoninus to the Ephesians, from theBouleuterionat Ephesus, 140–144 AD, explaining how the emperor resolved a dispute between the Roman cities ofEphesusandSmyrna.
British Museum,London.

Antoninus tried to portray himself as a magistrate of theres publica,no matter how extended and ill-defined his competencies were. He is credited with the splitting of the imperial treasury, thefiscus.This splitting had to do with the division of imperial properties into two parts. Firstly, the fiscus itself, orpatrimonium,meaning the properties of the "Crown", the hereditary properties of each succeeding person that sat on the throne, transmitted to his successors in office,[81]regardless of their previous membership in the imperial family.[82]Secondly, theres privata,the "private" properties tied to the personal maintenance of the emperor and his family,[83]something like aPrivy Purse.An anecdote in theHistoria Augustabiography, where Antoninus replies to Faustina (who complained about his stinginess) that "we have gained an empire [and] lost even what we had before" possibly relates to Antoninus' actual concerns at the creation of theres privata.[84]While still a private citizen, Antoninus had increased his personal fortune greatly by means of various legacies, the consequence of his caring scrupulously for his relatives.[85]Also, Antoninus left behind him a reputation for stinginess and was probably determined not to leave his personal property to be "swallowed up by the demands of the imperial throne".[86]

Theres privatalands could be sold and/or given away, while thepatrimoniumproperties were regarded as public.[87]It was a way of pretending that the Imperial function—and most properties attached to it—was a public one, formally subject to the authority of the Senate and the Roman people.[88]That the distinction played no part in subsequent political history—that thepersonalpower of theprincepsabsorbed his role as office-holder—proves that the autocratic logic of the imperial order had already subsumed the old republican institutions.[89]

Of the public transactions of this period there is only the scantiest of information, but, to judge by what is extant, those twenty-two years were not remarkably eventful in comparison to those before and after the reign.[10]However, Antoninus did take a great interest in the revision and practice of the law throughout the empire.[90]One of his chief concerns was to having local communities conform their legal procedures to existing Roman norms: in a case concerning repression of banditry by local police officers ( "irenarchs", Greek for "peace keepers" ) in Asia Minor, Antoninus ordered that these officers should not treat suspects as already condemned, and also keep a detailed copy of their interrogations, to be used in the possibility of an appeal to the Roman governor.[91]Also, although Antoninus was not an innovator, he would not always follow the absolute letter of the law; rather he was driven by concerns over humanity and equality, and introduced intoRoman lawmany important new principles based upon this notion.[90]

In this, the emperor was assisted by five chief lawyers:Lucius Fulvius Aburnius Valens,an author of legal treatises;[92]Lucius Ulpius Marcellus,a prolific writer; and three others.[90]Of these three, the most prominent wasLucius Volusius Maecianus,a former military officer turned by Antoninus into a civil procurator, and who, in view of his subsequent career (discovered on the basis of epigraphical and prosopographical research), was the emperor's most important legal adviser.[93]Maecianus would eventually be chosen to occupy various prefectures (see below) as well as to conduct the legal studies of Marcus Aurelius. He was also the author of a large work onFidei commissa(Testamentary Trusts). As a hallmark of the increased connection between jurists and the imperial government,[94]Antoninus' reign also saw the appearance of theInstitutesofGaius,an elementary legal textbook for beginners.[90]

Goldaureusof Antoninus, 153 AD. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP TR P XVII

Antoninus passed measures to facilitate theenfranchisementofslaves.[95]Mostly, he favoured the principle offavor libertatis,giving the putative freedman the benefit of the doubt when the claim to freedom was not clearcut.[96]Also, he punished the killing of a slave by their master without previous trial[97]and determined that slaves could be forcibly sold to another master by aproconsulin cases of consistent mistreatment.[98]Antoninus upheld the enforcement of contracts for selling of female slaves forbidding their further employment in prostitution.[99]In criminal law, Antoninus introduced the important principle of thepresumption of innocence;that accused persons are not to be treated as guilty before trial,[95]as in the case of the irenarchs (see above). Antoninus also asserted the principle that the trial was to be held, and the punishment inflicted, in the place where the crime had been committed. He mitigated the use oftorturein examining slaves by certain limitations. Thus he prohibited the application of torture to children under fourteen years, though this rule had exceptions.[95]However, it must be stressed that Antoninusextended,by means of arescript,the use of torture as a means of obtaining evidence to pecuniary cases, when it had been applied up until then only in criminal cases.[100]Also, already at the time torture of free men of low status (humiliores) had become legal, as proved by the fact that Antoninus exempted town councillors expressly from it, and also free men of high rank (honestiores) in general.[101]

One highlight during his reign occurred in 148, with the nine-hundredth anniversary of the foundation ofRomebeing celebrated by the hosting of magnificent games in Rome.[102]It lasted a number of days, and a host of exotic animals were killed, includingelephants,giraffes,tigers,rhinoceroses,crocodilesandhippopotamuses.While this increased Antoninus's popularity, the frugal emperor had to debase theRoman currency.He decreased the silver purity of the denarius from 89% to 83.5, the actual silver weight dropping from 2.88 grams to 2.68 grams.[52][103]

Scholars name Antoninus Pius as the leading candidate for an individual identified as a friend of RabbiJudah the Prince.According to theTalmud(Avodah Zarah 10a–b), Rabbi Judah was very wealthy and greatly revered in Rome. He had a close friendship with "Antoninus", possibly Antoninus Pius,[104]who would consult Rabbi Judah on various worldly and spiritual matters.

Diplomatic mission to China

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See also:Sino-Roman relations
GreenRoman glasscup unearthed from anEastern Han dynasty(25–220 AD) tomb,Guangxi,China

The first group of people claiming to be an ambassadorial mission of Romans to China was recorded in 166 AD by theHou Hanshu.[105]Harper (2017)[106]states that the embassy was likely to be a group of merchants, as many Roman merchants traveled to India and some might have gone beyond, while there are no records of official ambassadors of Rome travelling as far east. The group came toEmperor HuanofHan Chinaand claimed to be an embassy from "Andun" (Chinese:An đônāndūn;forAnton-inus), "king ofDaqin"(Rome).[107]As Antoninus Pius died in 161, leaving the empire to his adoptive sonMarcus Aurelius (Antoninus),and the envoy arrived in 166, confusion remains about who sent the mission, given that both emperors were named "Antoninus".[108][109][110]The Roman mission came from the south (therefore probably bysea), entering China by the frontier province ofJiaozhiatRinanorTonkin(present-day northernVietnam). It brought presents ofrhinoceroshorns,ivory,andtortoiseshell,probably acquired inSouth Asia.[105][111]The text specifically states that it was the first time there had been direct contact between the two countries.[105][112]

Furthermore, a piece ofRepublican-eraRoman glasswarehas been found at aWestern Hantomb inGuangzhoualong theSouth China Sea,dated to the early 1st century BC.[113]Roman golden medallions made during the reign of Antoninus Pius and perhaps even Marcus Aurelius have been found atÓc Eoin southern Vietnam, then part of theKingdom of Funannear the Chinese province ofJiaozhi.[114][115]This may have been the port city ofKattigara,described byPtolemy(c. 150) as being visited by a Greek sailor named Alexander and lying beyond theGolden Chersonese(i.e.,Malay Peninsula).[114][115]Roman coins from the reigns ofTiberiustoAurelianhave been discovered inXi'an,China (site of the Han capitalChang'an), although the significantly greater amount ofRoman coins unearthed in Indiasuggest the Roman maritime trade forpurchasing Chinese silkwas centered there, not in China or even the overlandSilk Roadrunning through ancient Iran.[116]

Death and legacy

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Ruins of thetriumphal archof Antoninus Pius outside the Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore inEleusis,Greece, imitatingHadrian's Arch in Athens

In 156, Antoninus Pius turned 70. He found it difficult to keep himself upright withoutstays.He started nibbling on dry bread to give him the strength to stay awake through his morning receptions.

Marcus Aurelius had already been created consul with Antoninus in 140, receiving the title ofCaesar,i.e., heir apparent.[117]As Antoninus aged, Marcus took on more administrative duties. Marcus's administrative duties increased again after the death, in 156 or 157, of one of Antoninus' most trusted advisers,Marcus Gavius Maximus.

For twenty years, Gavius Maximus had beenpraetorian prefect,an office that was as much secretarial as military.[118][119]Gavius Maximus had been awarded with the consular insignia and the honours due a senator.[120]He had a reputation as a most strict disciplinarian (vir severissimus,according toHistoria Augusta) and some fellow equestrian procurators held lasting grudges against him. A procurator named Gaius Censorius Niger died while Gavius Maximus was alive. In his will, Censorius Niger vilified Maximus, creating serious embarrassment for one of the heirs, the oratorFronto.[121]

Gavius Maximus' death initiated a change in the ruling team. It has been speculated that it was the legal adviserLucius Volusius Maecianuswho assumed the role ofgrey eminence.Maecianus was briefly Praefect of Egypt, and subsequentlyPraefectus annonaein Rome. If it was Maecianus who rose to prominence, he may have risen precisely in order to prepare the incoming—and unprecedented—joint succession.[122]In 160, Marcus and Lucius were designated joint consuls for the following year. Perhaps Antoninus was already ill; in any case, he died before the year was out, probably on 7 March.[129]

The bust of Antoninus Pius at theMuseo del Prado,Madrid

Two days before his death, the biographer reports, Antoninus was at his ancestral estate atLorium,inEtruria,[130][131]about twelve miles (19 km) from Rome.[131]He ateAlpine cheeseat dinner quite greedily. In the night he vomited; he had a fever the next day. The day after that, he summoned the imperial council, and passed the state and his daughter to Marcus. The emperor gave the keynote to his life in the last word that he uttered: when thetribuneof the night-watch came to ask the password, he responded, "aequanimitas" (equanimity).[132]He then turned over, as if going to sleep, and died.[133][134]His death closed out the longest reign sinceAugustus(surpassingTiberiusby a couple of months).[130]His record for the second-longest reign would be unbeaten for 168 years, until 329 when it was surpassed byConstantine the Great.

Antoninus Pius' funeral ceremonies were, in the words of the biographer, "elaborate".[135]If his funeral followed the pattern of past funerals, his body would have been incinerated on a pyre at theCampus Martius,while his spirit would rise to the gods' home in the heavens. However, it seems that this was not the case: according to hisHistoria Augustabiography (which seems to reproduce an earlier, detailed report) Antoninus' body (and not his ashes) was buried inHadrian's mausoleum.After a seven-day interval (justitium), Marcus and Lucius nominated their father for deification.[136]In contrast to their behaviour during Antoninus' campaign to deify Hadrian, the senate did not oppose the emperors' wishes. Aflamen,or cultic priest, was appointed to minister the cult of the deified Antoninus, nowDivus Antoninus.

Acolumnwas dedicated to Antoninus on the Campus Martius,[12]and thetemplehe had built in the Forum in 141 to his deified wife Faustina was rededicated to the deified Faustina and the deified Antoninus.[132]It survives as the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda.[137]

Historiography

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Arch of Antoninus Pius inSbeïtla,Tunisia.
Statue of Antoninus Pius,Palazzo Altemps,Rome

The only intact account of his life handed down to us is that of theAugustan History,an unreliable and mostly fabricated work. Nevertheless, it still contains information that is considered reasonably sound; for instance, it is the only source that mentions the erection of the Antonine Wall in Britain.[138]Antoninus is unique among Roman emperors in that he has no other biographies.[original research?]

Antoninus in many ways was the ideal of the landed gentleman praised not only by ancient Romans, but also by later scholars of classical history, such asEdward Gibbon[139]or the author of the article on Antoninus Pius in theEncyclopædia BritannicaEleventh Edition.[10]

A few months afterwards, on Hadrian's death, he was enthusiastically welcomed to the throne by the Roman people, who, for once, were not disappointed in their anticipation of a happy reign. For Antoninus came to his new office with simple tastes, kindly disposition, extensive experience, a well-trained intelligence and the sincerest desire for the welfare of his subjects. Instead of plundering to support his prodigality, he emptied his private treasury to assist distressed provinces and cities, and everywhere exercised rigid economy (hence the nickname κυμινοπριστης "cummin-splitter" ). Instead of exaggerating into treason whatever was susceptible of unfavorable interpretation, he turned the very conspiracies that were formed against him into opportunities for demonstrating his clemency. Instead of stirring uppersecution against the Christians,he extended to them the strong hand of his protection throughout the empire. Rather than give occasion to that oppression which he regarded as inseparable from an emperor's progress through his dominions, he was content to spend all the years of his reign in Rome, or its neighbourhood.[10]

Some historians have a less positive view of his reign. According to the historianJ. B. Bury,

however estimable the man, Antoninus was hardly a great statesman. The rest which the Empire enjoyed under his auspices had been rendered possible through Hadrian's activity, and was not due to his own exertions; on the other hand, he carried the policy of peace at any price too far, and so entailed calamities on the state after his death. He not only had no originality or power of initiative, but he had not even the insight or boldness to work further on the new lines marked out by Hadrian.[140]

German historianErnst Kornemannhas had it in hisRömische Geschichte[2 vols., ed. by H. Bengtson, Stuttgart 1954] that the reign of Antoninus comprised "a succession of grossly wasted opportunities", given the upheavals that were to come. There is more to this argument, given that the Parthians in the East were themselves soon to make no small amount of mischief after Antoninus' death. Kornemann's brief is that Antoninus might have waged preventive wars to head off these outsiders.Michael Grantagrees that it is possible that had Antoninus acted decisively sooner (it appears that, on his death bed, he was preparing a large-scale action against the Parthians), the Parthians might have been unable to choose their own time, but current evidence is not conclusive. Grant opines that Antoninus and his officers did act in a resolute manner dealing with frontier disturbances of his time, although conditions for long-lasting peace were not created. On the whole, according to Grant, Marcus Aurelius' eulogistic picture of Antoninus seems deserved, and Antoninus appears to have been a conservative and nationalistic (although he respected and followed Hadrian's example of Philhellenism moderately) emperor who was not tainted by the blood of either citizen or foe, combined and maintained Numa Pompilius' good fortune, pacific dutifulness and religious scrupulousness, and whose laws removed anomalies and softened harshnesses.[141]

Krzysztof Ulanowski argues that the claims of military inability are exaggerated, considering that although the sources praise Antoninus' love for peace and his efforts "rather to defend, than enlarge the provinces", he could hardly be considered a pacifist, as shown by the conquest of the Lowlands, the building of theAntonine Walland the expansion of Germania Superior. Ulanowski also praises Antoninus for being successful in deterrence by diplomatic means.[142]

Descendants

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Although only one of his four children survived to adulthood, Antoninus came to be ancestor to four generations of prominent Romans, including the EmperorCommodus.Hans-Georg Pflaumhas identified five direct descendants of Antoninus and Faustina who were consuls in the first half of the third century.[143]

  1. Marcus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (died before 138), died young without issue
  2. Marcus Galerius Aurelius Antoninus (died before 138), died young without issue
  3. Aurelia Fadilla (died in 135), who marriedLucius Plautius Lamia Silvanus,suffect consul in 145;[144]no children known for certain.
  4. Annia Galeria Faustina the Younger(21 September between 125 and 130–175), had several children; those who had children were:[145]
    1. Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla(7 March 150–182?), whose children included:
      1. Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus
    2. Annia Galeria Aurelia Faustina(151–?), whose children included:
      1. Tiberius Claudius Severus Proculus
        1. EmpressAnnia Faustina,Elagabalus' third wife
    3. Annia Aurelia Fadilla(159–after 211)
    4. Annia Cornificia Faustina Minor(160–213)

Nerva–Antonine family tree

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References

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  2. ^abCooley, Alison E.(2012).The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy.Cambridge University Press. pp. 492–493.ISBN978-0-521-84026-2.
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  4. ^Birley 2000,p. 54; Dio, 70:1:2.
  5. ^Birley 2000,p. 55; citing theHistoria Augusta,Life of Hadrian24.4.
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  68. ^Rouben Paul Adalian,Historical Dictionary of Armenia,Lanham: Scarecrow, 2010,ISBN978-0-8108-6096-4,entry "Arshakuni/Arsacid", p. 174
  69. ^Speidel, Michael P.,Riding for Caesar: The Roman Emperors' Horse Guards,Harvard University Press, 1997, p. 50
  70. ^See Victor, 15:3
  71. ^abMcLaughlin, Raoul (2010).Rome and the Distant East: Trade Routes to the Ancient Lands of Arabia, India and China.A&C Black. p. 131.ISBN9781847252357.
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  73. ^Barbara Burrell.Neokoroi: Greek Cities and Roman Emperors.Leiden: Brill, 2004,ISBN90-04-12578-7,p. 87
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  75. ^Conrad Gempf, ed.,The Book of Acts in Its Graeco-Roman Setting.Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1994,ISBN0-85364-564-7,p. 305
  76. ^Emmanuelle Collas-Heddeland, "Le culte impérial dans la compétition des titres sous le Haut-Empire. Une lettre d'Antonin aux Éphésiens". In:Revue des Études Grecques,tome 108, Juillet-décembre 1995. pp. 410–429. Available at[4]Archived3 June 2018 at theWayback Machine.Retrieved 22 January 2016; Edmund Thomas,(2007):Monumentality and the Roman Empire: Architecture in the Antonine Age.Oxford U. Press,ISBN978-0-19-928863-2,p. 133
  77. ^Philip A. Harland, ed.,Greco-Roman Associations: Texts, translations and commentaries. II: North Coast of the Black Sea, Asia Minor.Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2014,ISBN978-3-11-034014-3,p. 381
  78. ^Paul Graindor, "Antonin le Pieux et Athènes".Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire,tome 6, fasc. 3–4, 1927. pp. 753–756. Available at[5]Archived3 June 2018 at theWayback Machine.Retrieved 22 January 2016
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  81. ^Oxford Classical Dictionary,London: 2012,ISBN978-0-19-954556-8,entry "Patrimonium".
  82. ^After the death ofNero,the personal properties of theJulio-Claudian dynastyhad been appropriated by theFlavians,and therefore turned into public properties: Carrié & Roussele, 586
  83. ^Carrié & Rousselle, 586
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  90. ^abcdBury 1893,p. 526.
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  95. ^abcBury 1893,p. 527.
  96. ^Keith Bradley,Slavery and Society at Rome.Cambridge University Press: 1994,ISBN9780521263351,p. 162
  97. ^Aubert, Jean-Jacques. "L'esclave en droit romain ou l'impossible réification de l'homme". Esclavage et travail forcé,Cahiers de la Recherche sur les droits fondamentaux(CRDF). Vol. 10. 2012.
  98. ^Anastasia Serghidou, ed.Fear of slaves, fear of enslavement in the ancient Mediterranean.Presses Univ. Franche-Comté, 2007ISBN978-2-84867-169-7,p. 159
  99. ^Jean-Michel Carrié & Aline Rousselle,L'Empire Romain en Mutation, des Sévères à Constantin, 192–337.Paris: Seuil 1999,ISBN2-02-025819-6,p. 290
  100. ^Digest,48.18.9, as quoted by Edward Peters,Torture,Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996,ISBN0-8122-1599-0,p. 29
  101. ^Grant, pp. 154–155.
  102. ^Bowman 2000,p. 154.
  103. ^Tulane University "Roman Currency of the Principate"
  104. ^A. Mischcon, Abodah Zara, p.10a Soncino, 1988. Mischcon cites various sources, "SJ Rappaport... is of opinion that our Antoninus is Antoninus Pius." Other opinions cited suggest "Antoninus" wasCaracalla,Lucius VerusorAlexander Severus.
  105. ^abcFor a full translation of that passage, see:Paul Halsall (2000) [1998]. Jerome S. Arkenberg (ed.)."East Asian History Sourcebook: Chinese Accounts of Rome, Byzantium and the Middle East, c. 91 B.C.E. – 1643 C.E."Fordham.edu.Fordham University.Archived fromthe originalon 10 September 2014.Retrieved17 September2016.
  106. ^Harper, Kyle (2017).The Fate of Rome.Princeton, New Jersey, United States: Princeton University Press.
  107. ^"... Này vương thường dục thông sử với hán, mà an giấc ngàn thu dục lấy hán tăng màu cùng chi giao thị, cố che ngại không được tự đạt. Đến Hoàn đế duyên hi chín năm, Đại Tần vương an đôn khiển sử tự ngày nam kiếu ngoại hiến ngà voi, sừng tê giác, đại mạo, thủy nãi một hồi nào. Này sở biểu cống, cũng không trân dị, nghi truyền giả quá nào." 《 Hậu Hán Thư · Tây Vực truyện 》
    Translation:
    "... The king of this state always wanted to enter into diplomatic relations with the Han. But Anxi wanted to trade with them in Han silk and so put obstacles in their way, so that they could never have direct relations [with Han]. This continued until the ninth year of the Yanxi ( duyên hi ) reign period of Emperor Huan ( Hoàn ) (A.D. 166), when Andun an đôn, king of Da Qin, sent an envoy from beyond the frontier ofRinan( ngày nam ) who offered elephant tusk, rhinoceros horn, and tortoise shell. It was only then that for the first time communication was established [between the two states]. "" Xiyu Zhuan "of theHou Hanshu(ch. 88)
    inYU, Taishan (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) (2013). "China and the Ancient Mediterranean World: A Survey of Ancient Chinese Sources".Sino-Platonic Papers.242:25–26.CiteSeerX10.1.1.698.1744..
    Chinese original:"Chinese Text Project Dictionary".ctext.org.
  108. ^Yü, Ying-shih (1986). "Han Foreign Relations". In Twitchett, Denis; Loewe, Michael (eds.).The Cambridge History of China: Volume I: the Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 B.C. – A.D. 220.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-24327-8.
  109. ^de Crespigny, Rafe (2007).A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23–220 AD).Leiden: Koninklijke Brill. p. 600.ISBN978-90-04-15605-0.
  110. ^Pulleyblank, Edwin G.; Leslie, D. D.; Gardiner, K. H. J. (1999). "The Roman Empire as Known to Han China".Journal of the American Oriental Society.119(1): 71–79.doi:10.2307/605541.JSTOR605541.
  111. ^Hill (2009), p. 27 and nn. 12.18 and 12.20.
  112. ^Hill (2009), p. 27.
  113. ^An, Jiayao (2002). "When Glass Was Treasured in China". In Juliano, Annette L.; Lerner, Judith A. (eds.).Silk Road Studies VII: Nomads, Traders, and Holy Men Along China's Silk Road.Turnhout: Brepols. p. 83.ISBN2503521789.
  114. ^abYoung, Gary K. (2001).Rome's Eastern Trade: International Commerce and Imperial Policy, 31 BC – AD 305.London & New York: Routledge. pp. 29–30.ISBN0-415-24219-3.
  115. ^abFor further information onOc Eo,seeOsborne, Milton (2006) [first published 2000].The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future(revised ed.). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. pp. 24–25.ISBN1-74114-893-6.
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  117. ^Geoffrey William Adams,Marcus Aurelius in the Historia Augusta and Beyond.Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013,ISBN978-0-7391-7638-2,pp. 74–75.
  118. ^Birley 2000,p. 112.
  119. ^Grant,The Antonines,14
  120. ^Michael Petrus Josephus Van Den Hout,A Commentary on the Letters of M. Cornelius Fronto.Leiden: Brill, 199,ISBN9004109579,p. 389
  121. ^Champlin,Final Judgments,16
  122. ^Michel Christol,"Préfecture du prétoire et haute administration équestre à la fin du règne d'Antonin le Pieux et au début du règne de Marc Aurèle". In:Cahiers du Centre Gustave Glotz,18, 2007. pp. 115–140. Available at[6]Archived2 June 2018 at theWayback Machine.Accessed 27 January 2016
  123. ^Graf, Fritz (2015).Roman Festivals in the Greek East.Cambridge University Press.pp. 89–90.ISBN9781107092112.
  124. ^Hammond, M. (1938).The Tribunician Day during the Early Empire.Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome,15,p. 46.
  125. ^Istituto Italiano d'Arti Grafiche (1956).Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Vol. 24–25.p. 101.
  126. ^H. Temporini, W. Haase (1972).Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Principat. V.De Gruyter.p. 534.ISBN9783110018851.
  127. ^Levick, Dr Barbara; Levick, Barbara (2002)."The Feriale Duranum".The Government of the Roman Empire: A Sourcebook.Routledge. pp. 143–146.ISBN978-1-134-57264-9.
  128. ^Lee, A. D. (15 April 2013)."A religious calendar: P. Dura".Pagans and Christians in Late Antiquity: A Sourcebook.Routledge. pp. 16–19.ISBN978-1-136-61739-3.
  129. ^IGRRI, 1509.The date is found in an inscription by Titus Flavius Xenion.[123]TheFeriale Duranum1.21.,written half a century later, states that his successors took power the day before: "Prid(ie) Non[is Ma]r[tis".However, most historians who cite the passage indicate that it occurred on 7 March (nones martis).[124][125][126]More recent modern scholars cite the date as 6 March.[127][128]Either way, 7 March is the universally accepted date.[10]
  130. ^abBowman 2000,p. 156.
  131. ^abVictor, 15:7
  132. ^abBury 1893,p. 532.
  133. ^HA Antoninus Pius12.4–8
  134. ^Birley 2000,p. 114.
  135. ^HA Marcus7.10, tr. David Magie, cited inBirley 2000,pp. 118, 278 n.6.
  136. ^Robert Turcan, "Origines et sens de l'inhumation à l'époque impériale". In:Revue des Études Anciennes.Tome 60, 1958, n°3–4. pp. 323–347. Available at[7]Archived3 June 2018 at theWayback Machine.Accessed 14 January 2016
  137. ^Birley 2000,p. 118.
  138. ^Historia Augusta,Life of Antoninus Pius5:4
  139. ^Gibbon, Edward (2015).Delphi Complete Works of Edward Gibbon (Illustrated).Delphi Classics. p. 125.ISBN9781910630761.
  140. ^Bury 1893,p. 524.
  141. ^Grant, Michael (2016).The Antonines: The Roman Empire in Transition.Routledge. pp. 14–23.ISBN9781317972112.
  142. ^Ulanowski, Krzysztof (2016).The Religious Aspects of War in the Ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome: Ancient Warfare Series, Volume 1.Brill. pp. 360–361.ISBN9789004324763.
  143. ^Pflaum,"Les gendres de Marc-Aurèle"Archived5 June 2018 at theWayback Machine,Journal des savants(1961), pp. 28–41
  144. ^Ronald Syme, "Antonine Relatives: Ceionii and Vettuleni",Athenaeum,35 (1957), p. 309
  145. ^Based on Table F, "The Children of Faustina II" inBirley 2000

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Antoninus Pius
Born:19 September 86Died:7 March 161
Regnal titles
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Political offices
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January–February 145
withMarcus AureliusII 		Succeeded byas suffect consuls
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