Publius Mummius Sisenna

Publius Mummius Sisenna was a Roman politician who was consul ordinarius in 133 with Marcus Antonius Hiberus as his colleague,[1] and governor of Roman Britain shortly afterwards. Hadrian's Wall may have been finished under his governorship.

Publius Mummius Sisenna
Military diploma CIL XVI, 82, dated April 14th 135, attesting him as governor
Roman consul

Ronald Syme considers Sisenna's tribe "Galeria" as clear evidence that his family origins lay in Spain, and counts twenty different individuals from those provinces who shared his gentilicium.[2]

Life

Little is known of his career. Syme speculates that Sisenna may be identical with a "Publius" known to have been governor of Thracia between the years 128 and 136.[3] Sisenna is attested as governor of Roman Britain in a fragmentary inscription at Wroxeter dated 14 April 135.[4] The brief period between his consulship and governorship is unusual; he was one of only three persons known to have proceeded directly to governorship of Roman Britain without governing another province first.[5] The sudden departure of Sextus Julius Severus to Judaea to suppress a rebellion there would explain part of this. Birley speculates that no other person was suitable for the job, and Hadrian appointed him to the ordinary consulship as a means to render Sisenna eligible more rapidly.[6]

Another inscription shows Sisenna was to be proconsul of Asia in 150–51.[7]

Based on the unusual name, he was kinsman to, if not father of, the suffect consul of 146 and proconsul of Asia, Publius Mummius Sisenna Rutilianus. Rutilianus served as legate of Legio VI Victrix, which was stationed in Britain, likely during the tenure of Sisenna.[6] If they were father and son, that Rutilianus became consul only thirteen years after Sisenna suggests that the older man attained the fasces late in life.[8]

References
  1. Werner Eck, Paul Holder and Andreas Pangerl, "A Diploma for the Army of Britain in 132 and Hadrian's Return to Rome from the East", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 174 (2010), p. 194
  2. Syme, "Spaniards at Tivoli", Ancient Society, 13/14 (1982/1983), p. 249
  3. Syme, "Spaniards at Tivoli", pp. 249f
  4. Anthony Birley, The Fasti of Roman Britain, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981), pp. 109f
  5. Birley, Fasti, pp. 388ff
  6. Birley, Fasti, p. 110
  7. Birley, Fasti, p. 110 and note
  8. Birley, Fasti, p. 249
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