Marcus Aemilius Lepidus

Who was Marcus Aemilius Lepidus?

Marcus Aemilius Lepidus was a Roman consul, Pontifex Maximus and censor.

As a praetor he was governor of Sicily in 191 BC. He was elected consul in 187 BC. He and his colleague, Gaius Flaminius, subdued the Ligurians. From 180 BC onwards he was pontifex maximus and from 179 BC was princeps senatus. This same year he was also elected censor. In 175 BC he was elected consul for the second time. He oversaw construction of the Via Aemilia in 187 BC, a Roman road from the town of Piacenza to Rimini, still in use and one of the most important roads in Northern Italy. He established the Roman colonies of Parma and Modena and gave his name to the Roman castrum of Regium Lepidi.