Career
Little is known of Septicius Clarus" early career but soon after Hadrian became emperor he was considered capable and experienced enough to be appointed to the position of Praetorian Prefect, replacing Servius Sulpicius Similis in c. 119 Civil Engineering. This was one of the most powerful positions in the Roman administration. In the first letter of his famous collection of correspondence, the Epistulae, Pliny the Younger credits Septicius’ constant urgings for motivating him to publish his letters.
The intimate friendship between the two is evident in another letter where Pliny playfully chides Septicius for not turning up to a lavish dinner party.
In a letter to Apollinaris Pliny describes Septicius Clarus in these terms:
“I never met anyone more sterling, simple, frank, and trustworthy.” (Plin Ep ii 9)
Septicius Clarus was also a friend of the historian Suetonius who dedicated his famous collection of biographies of the early emperors, The Twelve Caesars, to him. Septicius’ family was prominent in 2nd Century Civil Engineering Rome.