1. Overview
Aulus Platorius Nepos was a Roman senator who served in various significant imperial appointments, most notably as the governor of Roman Britain. His career path was considered unusual for a Roman official of his standing, particularly his early start in a less favored administrative role and his rapid ascent to the consulship after a single senior praetorian appointment. He held the position of suffect consul alongside Emperor Hadrian in 119 AD and is historically recognized for overseeing the construction of Hadrian's Wall during his governorship in Britain.
2. Life
2.1. Birth and Background
The precise location of Aulus Platorius Nepos' birth and upbringing remains uncertain. However, due to his explicit description as a friend of Hadrian before the emperor's accession, and their shared tribal affiliation, the Sergia tribe, it is considered probable that Nepos originated from Southern Spain. The `nomen` (family name) Platorius is notably attested in the Roman province of Baetica, further supporting this hypothesis.
2.2. Early Career
In the final years of the 1st century AD, Nepos began his military service as a military tribune with Legio XXII Primigenia, stationed at Mainz. He served under the watchful eye of the governor of Germania Superior, who brought Nepos to the attention of Emperor Trajan. Trajan, in turn, directly supported Nepos' candidacy for senatorial offices, marking a significant early endorsement in his career.
2.3. Imperial Public Service
Aulus Platorius Nepos' career saw a steady progression through key imperial appointments. He likely became a praetor in 111 AD. Following this, he served as a curator responsible for three roads in Etruria between 112 and 113 AD. Before 113 AD, he was appointed legatus (legate) of Legio I Adiutrix during Trajan's significant Parthian campaigns. Upon Hadrian's ascension to the imperial throne, Nepos was made governor of Thracia. He then served as suffect consul in the spring of 119 AD, holding the position as a colleague of Emperor Hadrian, succeeding the consul posterior Publius Dasumius Rusticus. Shortly after his consulship, he was appointed governor of Germania Inferior. During his tenure in Germania Inferior, he hosted Emperor Hadrian in 121 AD as part of the emperor's grand tour.
2.4. Governor of Britain
In 122 AD, Aulus Platorius Nepos accompanied Emperor Hadrian to Roman Britain, where he was subsequently appointed as the province's governor. His governorship is most notably associated with overseeing the ambitious construction of Hadrian's Wall, a major defensive fortification across northern Britain. It is believed that Nepos brought Legio VI Victrix with him from the European continent to assist in the construction efforts and potentially to replace Legio IX Hispana, which had departed the province around 108 AD. His tenure as governor of Roman Britain is firmly established by two Roman military diplomas, dating his service from 17 July 122 AD to 15 September 124 AD.
2.5. Later Activities
After completing his term as governor of Britain, Aulus Platorius Nepos did not seek any further public office. Records indicate that he owned a brickworks near Rome, as evidenced by bricks bearing his name and dated to 134 AD. At some point in his life, Nepos also held the prestigious religious office of augur. The historical text Historia Augusta twice mentions that Emperor Hadrian came to dislike his old friend, Nepos. However, modern scholarship, particularly by Anthony Birley, notes that the Historia Augusta is generally considered an unreliable source, and attempts to explain this recorded animosity. It has also been suggested by Birley that A. Platorius Nepos Calpurnianus, who served as curator of the Tiber in 161 AD, was his son.
3. Career Assessment and Historical Sources
The career of Aulus Platorius Nepos has been subject to scholarly analysis, particularly by historian Anthony Birley, who highlights its unusual aspects for a Roman governor of Britain. Birley points out two key distinctions:
- Firstly, Nepos' career is the only recorded instance before the reign of Severus Alexander where an individual began their public service in the least favored post within the vigintiviri, specifically the `tresviri capitales`, and subsequently received direct imperial backing for higher appointments.
- Secondly, his progression to the consulship after holding only a single senior praetorian appointment is one of only three known cases. The other two instances are those of Lucius Flavius Silva (consul in 81 AD) and Gaius Bruttius Praesens Lucius Fulvius Rusticus (consul for the second time in 139 AD).
Regarding historical sources, the Historia Augusta mentions a strained relationship between Nepos and Emperor Hadrian. However, this account is viewed with skepticism by modern historians, including Birley, due to the general unreliability of the Historia Augusta as a historical document. Scholars have attempted to reconcile or explain these discrepancies, often dismissing the more sensational claims of the text.