Lucius Varius Ambibulus information

Lucius Varius Ambibulus (full name: Quintus Planius Sardus Lucius Varius Ambibulus), was a Roman senator of the 2nd century AD who occupied a number of offices in the imperial service, as well as serving as suffect consul in either 132 or 133.

His cognomen "Ambibulus" was described by Ronald Syme as "peculiar and uncommon"; he could only count five examples of its use in inscriptions found at Rome, and one more in North Africa.^[1] Based on the evidence that his father's name was also L. Varius Ambibulus, his sister's name is Varia, and his freedmen were Varii, Olli Salomies argues his original name was Lucius Varius Ambibulus, and the terms of a testamentary adoption one Quintus Planius Sardus directed Ambibulus to add his name to Ambibulus' in return for a share of the latter's estate.^[2] However, Werner Eck and Margaret Roxan present another possibility, based on a military diploma owned by Martin Schøyen, that mentions an equestrian "Q. Planius Sardus", the commander of ala I Ulpia contrariorum milliaria. Noting the nomen gentile "is otherwise rare in the senatorial and equestrian classes", they argue that Ambibulus is related to this equestrian, adding the "Quintus Planius Sardus" element in his name from his mother's side.^[3]