Publius Aelius Paetus (consul 201 BC)
Encyclopedia
Publius Aelius Paetus otherwise known as Publius Aelius Q.f. Paetus, was an Roman
consul
of the late 3rd century BC. He was a prominent supporter and ally of Scipio Africanus
, and was elected censor
with Africanus in 199 BC.
in August 216 BC. The father may have been descended from Publius Aelius Paetus, who was consul in 337 BC and a Master of the Horse
, and as such, one of the earliest plebeian consuls; another ancestor may have been Gaius Aelius Paetus, consul in 286 BC.
His younger brother was Sextus Aelius Paetus Catus
who became consul in 198 BC and censor in 194 BC, and is best known to us via Cicero
as a jurist
and commentator on the Twelve Tables
. Publius was also a jurist.
, and became consul in 201 BC with Gnaeus Cornelius L.f. Lentulus.
In his year as consul, he made a treaty with the Ingauni Ligures
and was appointed one of the ten decemvirs for the distribution of lands among the veteran soldiers of Scipio Africanus
in Samnium
and Apulia
.
In 199 BC he was elected censor
with Africanus himself. The two censors were relatively liberal in their lustrum
and degraded none.
Paetus died in 174 BC during a pestilence at Rome, as recorded by Livy in a fragmentary chapter.
His son was Quintus Aelius Paetus, who became consul in 167 BC.
, History of Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
of the late 3rd century BC. He was a prominent supporter and ally of Scipio Africanus
Scipio Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
, and was elected censor
Censor (ancient Rome)
The censor was an officer in ancient Rome who was responsible for maintaining the census, supervising public morality, and overseeing certain aspects of the government's finances....
with Africanus in 199 BC.
Family
Publius Aelius Paetus was apparently the elder surviving son of Quintus Aelius Paetus, a praetor who was killed at CannaeBattle of Cannae
The Battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War, which took place on August 2, 216 BC near the town of Cannae in Apulia in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage under Hannibal decisively defeated a numerically superior army of the Roman Republic under command of the consuls Lucius...
in August 216 BC. The father may have been descended from Publius Aelius Paetus, who was consul in 337 BC and a Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
, and as such, one of the earliest plebeian consuls; another ancestor may have been Gaius Aelius Paetus, consul in 286 BC.
His younger brother was Sextus Aelius Paetus Catus
Sextus Aelius Paetus Catus
Sextus Aelius Paetus Catus or Sextus Aelius Q.f. Paetus Catus , was a Roman Republican consul, elected in 198 BC. Today, he is best-known for his interpretation of the laws of the Twelve Tables, which is known to us only through the praise of Cicero...
who became consul in 198 BC and censor in 194 BC, and is best known to us via Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
as a jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and commentator on the Twelve Tables
Twelve Tables
The Law of the Twelve Tables was the ancient legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. The Law of the Twelve Tables formed the centrepiece of the constitution of the Roman Republic and the core of the mos maiorum...
. Publius was also a jurist.
Political life
Aelius Paetus makes relatively few appearances in Livy's History of Rome. He was Master of the Horse in 202 BC, was elected praetorPraetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
, and became consul in 201 BC with Gnaeus Cornelius L.f. Lentulus.
In his year as consul, he made a treaty with the Ingauni Ligures
Ligures
The Ligures were an ancient people who gave their name to Liguria, a region of north-western Italy.-Classical sources:...
and was appointed one of the ten decemvirs for the distribution of lands among the veteran soldiers of Scipio Africanus
Scipio Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
in Samnium
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
and Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
.
In 199 BC he was elected censor
Censor (ancient Rome)
The censor was an officer in ancient Rome who was responsible for maintaining the census, supervising public morality, and overseeing certain aspects of the government's finances....
with Africanus himself. The two censors were relatively liberal in their lustrum
Lustrum
A lustrum was a term for a five-year period in Ancient Rome.The lustration was originally a sacrifice for expiation and purification offered by one of the censors in the name of the Roman people at the close of the taking of the census...
and degraded none.
Paetus died in 174 BC during a pestilence at Rome, as recorded by Livy in a fragmentary chapter.
His son was Quintus Aelius Paetus, who became consul in 167 BC.
Sources
LivyLivy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
, History of Rome