Paullus Fabius Maximus

Paullus Fabius Maximus (died AD 14) was a Roman senator, active toward the end of the first century BC. He was consul in 11 BC as the colleague of Quintus Aelius Tubero, and a confidant of emperor Augustus. Background The patrician Fabii were one of the most ancient and illustrious families of Rome, but by the Late Republic their status had begun to wane. Ronald Syme notes that the Fabii had "missed a generation in the consulate." Fabius was the elder son of Quintus Fabius Maximus, one of Caesar's legates during the Civil War, whom Caesar appointed consul suffectus on October 1, 45 BC. He was named after his ancestor, Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus. The elder Fabius died on the last day of his consulship, December 31, leaving Paullus, his younger brother, Africanus Fabius Maximus, and a sister, Fabia Paullina. Political career Fabius' first known post was that of quaestor, in which capacity he served under Augustus during the emperor's travels through the eastern provinces from 22 to 19 BC. After his consulship, Fabius served as proconsul of Asia; the exact period of his administration is uncertain, with some sources favouring 10 to 8 BC, and others as 6 to 5. During this time, he minted a number of coins bearing his image. In 3 BC, Fabius was legatus Augusti pro praetore or governor of Hispania Tarraconensis. While there, Paullus captured a Celtic city and named it Lucus Augusti, the modern city of Lugo.