Gaius Antius Aulus Julius Quadratus

Born in Pergamon, probably in the early 50s, Aulus Julius Quadratus was the son of Aulus, and a wealthy patron of the city;[1] his sister was named Julia Polla.[2] Ronald Syme believed he was related to the general Gaius Julius Quadratus Bassus, although Quadratus was a member of the Roman tribe Voltina and Bassus belonged to the tribe Fabia.[3] Olli Salomies has argued his family came from Gallia Narbonensis,[2] while Weisser says that he was descended from the Attalid dynasty and the kings of Galatia.[4]

Adlected inter praetorios (or with praetorian rank) into the Senate by the emperor Vespasian sometime during the 70s,[5] Quadratus was also co-opted into the Arval Brethren at some point before March of 78 when he is first mentioned in their Acta Arvalia. From 79-80, he was proconsular legate to the proconsul of Asia, Marcus Ulpius Traianus, father of the future Emperor Trajan.[6] He would subsequently become a close personal friend of the Emperor Trajan, who honoured him as an amicus clarissimus ('most brilliant friend').[6]

Syme infers that Quadratus served as proconsular legate in Bithynia et Pontus from 80-81.[7] Quadratus was appointed governor of the public province of Crete and Cyrenaica in 84/85.[8] He is mentioned again in the Acta Arvalia from January 86 to May 89, indicating he was residing at Rome during that time.[9] In the gap after May 89, he served the emperor as governor of Lycia et Pamphylia from the year 89 to 93[10]

At some point between 89 and 94, Quadratus added the prefix "Gaius Antius" to his name, likely as a requirement for accepting a legacy from an acquaintance.[11][2] He was appointed suffect consul for the nundinium May-August AD 94 with Decimus Valerius Asiaticus Saturninus as his colleague. In this position, Quadratus supported the young Hadrian's appointment as praefectus ferriarum Latinarum - his first public office.[6] Quadratus was later appointed legatus Augusti pro praetore of the province of Syria, where he was stationed from AD 100 to 104.[12]

As a reward for his long service he was elected ordinary consul in AD 105. He was the first senator of eastern origin to achieve this post.[6] In the same year he was appointed priest of Dionysus Kathegemon in Pergamon.[13] Later the Pergamenes also appointed him gymnasiarch for life, in which role he may have been responsible for the construction of a new aqueduct bringing the water of the Caicus river to the city.[13] He was finally appointed proconsular governor of Asia in AD 109/110. His name appears on four issues of coinage at Pergamon, minted during this year.[6] Following this, he convinced Trajan to grant the city a neocorate status for a second time, probably in AD 114/5. Pergamon was the first city in the Empire to achieve this honour, which entitled the city to erect a second temple dedicated to the Imperial cult, the Trajaneum, dedicated to the emperor Trajan and Zeus.[14] The epithet under which Zeus was worshipped in this temple, Philius ('of friendship') may have been a reference to the friendship between Trajan and Quadratus.[15] Also in 114/5, Quadratus established regular games, the Traianeia Deiphilia in honor of Trajan and Zeus Philius.[1][16]

It is unclear whether he lived into the reign of Hadrian or saw the completion of the Trajaneum in AD 129.[6]

• Bowersock, Glen Warren, Studies on the Eastern Roman Empire: Social, Economic and Administrative History, Religion, Historiography, Keip Verlag (1994)
• Longenecker, Bruce W., The Lost Letters of Pergamum, Baker Academic, (2003)
• Syme, Ronald, Some Arval Brethren, Clarendon Press (1980)
• Syme, Ronald, Historia Augusta Papers, Clarendon Press (1983)
• Weisser, B. (2005). "Pergamum as Paradigm". In Howgego, C. J.; Heuchert, V.; Burnett, A. (eds.). Coinage and Identity in the Roman Provinces. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 135–142.

• Abdurrahman Uzunaslan, "A New Inscription Honouring C. Antius A. Iulius Quadratus", Anadolu / Anatolia 43 (2017), pp. 37-63