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Messalla

Messalla is the name of an ancient Roman gens (nomen) known from the Republic into the early Empire. The Messallae appear in Latin sources from the later Roman Republic onward, with various members attaining magistracies and military commands. The family produced several branches, some bearing the cognomina Messalla and Messallinus; the most famous branch used the agnomen Corvinus, a mark of distinction that later became closely associated with the line.

The best-known member is Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, a statesman who held high office and was associated

In scholarly discussions, the Messallae are treated as a durable Roman gens that contributed to the political,

with
the
Augustan
era.
He
is
described
in
later
sources
as
a
patron
of
letters
and
a
participant
in
the
cultural
and
political
life
of
his
time.
Other
Messallae
appear
in
inscriptions
and
literary
references,
with
roles
ranging
from
praetor
and
consul
to
provincial
commanders
and
civil
officials.
As
with
many
Roman
gentes,
the
Messallae
occupied
a
spectrum
of
political
and
military
positions
across
the
end
of
the
Republic
and
into
the
early
imperial
period.
military,
and
cultural
life
of
their
era.
The
nomen
is
encountered
in
classical
Latin
texts
and
in
epigraphic
material,
and
it
continues
to
be
cited
in
prosopographical
studies
of
Roman
offices,
patrons,
and
kinship
networks.
The
legacy
of
the
family
endures
in
the
historical
record
as
an
example
of
the
Roman
practice
of
naming
and
the
way
prominent
lineages
shaped
the
social
and
political
landscape
of
their
times.