Lucius Valerius Flaccus
Roman consul of 100 BCE and leader of the Senate
- Consul
- 100 BCE, with Gaius Marius
- Censor
- 97 BCE
- Role
- Princeps senatus (leader of the Senate) in the 80s BCE
- Known for
- As interrex, proposed the law making Sulla dictator (82 BCE)
- Died
- Between 73 and 69 BCE
The Roman consul of 100 BCE whose name, with Marius', dates Pliny's burning shield in the sky.
What is Lucius Valerius Flaccus known for?
Lucius Valerius Flaccus was a Roman politician of the patrician Valerius family. He was consul in 100 BCE as the colleague of Gaius Marius, then in his sixth consulship, and censor in 97 BCE. During the civil wars of the 80s BCE he was princeps senatus, the senior member of the Senate, and tried without success to broker peace between the factions of Cinna and Sulla.
In 82 BCE, as interrex after both consuls had died, he did not hold elections but proposed the Lex Valeria, which appointed Sulla dictator. He died sometime between 73 and 69 BCE.
His importance for this site is a date. Romans named each year for its two consuls, and Pliny the Elder records a burning shield crossing the sky 'in the consulship of Lucius Valerius and Caius Marius', which fixes the sighting in 100 BCE. He is a different man from the consul of 86 BCE of the same name.
His consulship with Marius dates the burning shield in Pliny's Natural History to 100 BCE.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holePliny's burning shield
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 100 BC)'Reference
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Gaius Marius' (consulships)Reference
- museum-digital, 'Lucius Valerius Flaccus'Reference
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