Marcus Mettius Rufus
Marcus Mettius Rufus was a Roman eques who flourished during the reign of the emperors Domitian and Trajan. He was appointed to a series of imperial offices, including praefectus or governor of Roman Egypt. Hans-Georg Pflaum first traced the rise of his family, the Mettii, identifying their origins in Petelia, a small Greek-speaking town in Bruttium, whence they emigrated to Arles when Julius Caesar settled one of their ancestors, a soldier or centurion of his Legio VI, there. Rufus' father was Marcus Mettius Modestus, procurator of Syria; he is known to have a brother, Mettius Modestus, suffect consul in 82. Two men have been identified as sons of Rufus: Gaius Trebonius Proculus Mettius Modestus, suffect consul in 103; and Marcus Mettius Rufus, who died before he could reach the consulate. Career While it can be assumed Mettius Rufus passed through the tres militiae, the first steps of every equestrian career, the earliest office Rufus is known to have held was praefectus annonae at some point prior to 88. This person was in charge of the public dole of bread to the inhabitants of Rome. He is attested as holding the office of praefectus of Egypt from some point before 2