Manius Valerius Maximus Messalla

Roman politician and general, consul in 263 BCE, censor in 252 BCE

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Manius Valerius Maximus Messalla[1] was consul in 263 BC with Manius Otacilius Crassus as his consular collegae.[2] Messalla served as censor in 252 BC.[3]

## Biography

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Manius Valerius Maximus was the son of Marcus Valerius Maximus Corvinus, consul in 289 BC, and grandson of Marcus Valerius Corvus.[citation needed] With his colleague, Manius Otacilius Crassus, he gained a brilliant victory over the Carthaginians and Syracusans:[2] more than sixty of the Sicilian towns acknowledged the supremacy of Rome, and the consuls concluded a peace treaty with Hieron of Syracuse, which lasted the remainder of his [Hieron] long life.[4] This acknowledgment proved equally advantageous to both Syracuse and Rome. He was awarded the triumph De Paeneis et Rege Siculorum Hierone.[5]

His relief of Messana obtained him the cognomen Messalla, which remained in the family for nearly 800 years. To commemorate his Sicilian victory, he arranged for it to be pictorially represented (painted) on the wall of the Curia Hostilia, the first example of an historical fresco at Rome(it still hung there two centuries later).[6] He is also said to have brought the first sundial from Catana to Rome, where it was set up on a column in the forum.[2]

Messalla was censor in 252 BC, when he degraded 400 equites to aerarians for neglect of duty in.

## References

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1. ^ Broughton, Magistrates of the Roman Republic, vol. 1, p. 203 f.
2. ^ a b c Chisholm 1911, p. 189.
3. ^ Broughton, Magistrates of the Roman Republic, vol. 1, p. 212
4. ^ Polybius, 1:17.6
5. ^ Fasti Triumphales, CDXC.
6. ^ Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 35.2.

### Sources

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* This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Messalla Corvinus: 2. Marcus Valerius Maximus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 189.
* This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Messalla (1)". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 2\. pp. 1049–50.1049-50&rft.date=1870&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Manius+Valerius+Maximus+Messalla" class="Z3988">

Political offices

Preceded by

Appius Claudius Caudex
Marcus Fulvius Flaccus

|  Roman consul
with Manius Otacilius Crassus
263 BC  | Succeeded by

Lucius Postumius Megellus
Quintus Mamilius Vitulus