Vitrasius Pollio was born into a family of
Patrician rank. Although the name of his mother is unknown, his father is
Titus Vitrasius Pollio, consul around 137 in the reign of
Hadrian. The older Vitrasius Pollio 's paternal grandfather was
Gaius Vitrasius Pollio, who served as a
Procurator of
Egypt under
Claudius (41-54) and whose father of the same name was also procurator of Egypt during the reign of Tiberius. Two inscriptions, one from Rome, the other from
Leon, provides us the details of his
cursus honorum. Vitrasius Pollio's career began in his teens as one of the
tresviri monetalis, the most prestigious of the four boards that comprise the
vigintiviri; assignment to this board was usually allocated to patricians or favored individuals. His next office was as a
quaestor, and upon completion of this traditional Republican magistracy Pollio would be enrolled in the Senate. As a patrician, Vitrasius Pollio was ineligible to hold the office of
plebeian tribune, and was excused from serving as an
aedile, so his next office was the traditional Republican magistracy of
praetor. At this point, he acceded to the suffect consulship almost automatically after reaching his thirty-second or thirty-third birthday. By this point in his life Pollio had been admitted to the
sodales Antoniniani. Upon stepping down from the consulate, Vitrasius Pollio received a series of imperial appointments. First was
curator aquarum, or overseer of the aqueducts of Rome. Next he served as a
legatus or governor of
Moesia Inferior;
Géza Alföldy dates his tenure from around 156 to 159. After a space of a few years, he was appointed governor of
Hispania Tarraconensis; Alföldy dates his tenure there from around 164 to 167. Then the
sortition awarded him the
proconsular governorship of
Asia for the term 167/168. About this time, Pollio became a
comes Augustorum, and accompanied the emperor
Lucius Verus in the military campaigns against the Germans and
Sarmatians, continuing after the emperor's death in 169, and earning
dona militaria. He returned from the wars to open the year 176 at Rome with his second consulate. Due to his outstanding military service, Vitrasius Pollio was awarded two statues in his honor. One statue of him depicts him in military clothing and was erected at
Trajan's Forum. The second statue portrays him in civilian clothing and was erected at the
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. Vitrasius Pollio was deputy to Lucius Verus’ co-Emperor
Marcus Aurelius in the
Marcomannic Wars. == Family ==