Titus Eppius Latinus

Titus Eppius Latinus was the first known Pannonian Roman member of the ordo equester.

Origin Latinus was born in Neviodunum (officially municipium Flavium Latobicorum, modern-day Drnovo) in the province of Pannonia. He was in the Quirina tribe and his father was called Titus. There are multiple theories on his ethnic origin. He may have come from a Northern Italic family moving from Aquileia—or a Dalmatian. Inscriptions set up by southern Gauls in the vicinity of his birthplace suggest that his ancestors lived in Southern Gaul. Another possibility is that—like the majority of provincial equites—he was a member of the local aristocracy that gained citizenship.

His nomen gentilicum could've been the Latinized version of the native Pannonian Epo or Eppo name present around Emona (modern-day Ljubljana) and Neviodunum, however, Eppius was very rare in Pannonia. It was also rare but present in Northern Italy, including Aquileia, and much more common in Southern Gaul. In Noricum it appears as Eppaeus. On the other, his cognomen was widespread in Northern Italy and Noricum. It asserts that he was of Roman origin but that may suggest he actually wasn't.

Service Unlike most equites, Latinus didn't start as a military officer. Before getting admitted into the ordo equester, he was duumvir of Neviodunum. Afterwards, he occupied multiple procurator posts under Trajan. He was procurator ad census accipiendos of a province with the job of carrying out a census, then procurator familiarum gladiatoriarum provinciarum Hispaniarum trium charged with administrating the companies that recruit gladiators from Hispania. Added up, these positions paid him 60,000 sestertii yearly. Later, Latinus worked as procurator IIII publicorum Africae overseeing the finances of Africa.