Marco Emilio Lepido
Historical notes
Leader of the Lepidi family, branch of the Emilii patrician gens, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus was a politician and commander of the Roman Republic.
During his cursus honorum he held prestigious offices gaining numerous military victories and carrying out important public works that supported the expansion of the nascent Roman empire.
During his office as edile along with Lucio Emilio Paolo in 193 BC, he promoted the construction of the Emporium, the new river port southward the Aventino hill in Rome: it comprehended a quay about 500 meters long, the Navalia (a huge 50-rooms building) and, behind, the horrea, warehouses for storing goods.
He was then elected consul for two terms in 187 BC and in 175 BC.
The greatest honor of his first consulate was the victory over the Ligurians who inhabited the flourishing Padana plain: Rome gained What still brings his name after centuries, however, is the Via Emilia, which he wanted and built, according to Roman use, to complete and make the conquest of the new territories solid. The Via Emilia was thus built in 187 BC as a continuation of Via Flaminia (the main link to the north of Italy that connected Rome to Rimini) and linked the colonies of Ariminum (Rimini) and Placentia (Piacenza).a fertile and strategic territory for the development of the empire.
Along the way, during the years, new centers were founded: Caesena (Cesena), Forum Popilii (Forlimpopoli), Forum Livii (Forlì), Faventia (Faenza), Forum Cornelii (Imola), Claterna, Bononia (Bologna), Mutina (Modena), Tannetum (Sant'Ilario d'Enza), Parma and Fidentia (Fidenza). Among them in particular, during the second consulate of Marco Emilio Lepido, was founded the first nucleus of the city of Reggio Emilia, Regium Lepidi, the only one that still brings his name.
Marco Emilio was than Pontifex Maximus and censor. During this last charge he erected the temple dedicated to Giunone Regina at Campo Marzio in Rome, the one he had vowed to erect after his victory over the Ligurians. He also dedicated the temple to the Lari Permarini in the sacred area of Largo di Torre Argentina.
The tradition also attributes to his censorship (179 BC) along with Marco Fulvio Nobiliore, the construction of Ponte Emilio (Ponte Rotto) and one of the first building phases of Basilica Emilia in Rome.
Marco Emilio Lepido died during his second post as Pontiff Max. in 152 aC.
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