Claudius Pompeianus

Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus
Marble relief of Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus (center right) with Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the Capitoline Museums in Rome
Consul of the Roman Empire
In office 173–173 Serving with Gnaeus Claudius Severus
Preceded by	Sextus Calpurnius Scipio Orfitus and Sextus Quintilius Maximus
Succeeded by	Lucius Aurelius Gallus and Quintus Volusius Flaccus Cornelianus
Military Governor of Pannonia Inferior
In office 164–168
Suffect Consul of the Roman Empire
In office 162–162 Serving with Tiberius Claudius Paullinus
Preceded by	Junius Rusticus and Lucius Titius Plautius Aquilinus
Succeeded by	Marcus Pontius Laelianus and Aulus Junius Pastor Lucius Caesennius Sospes
Personal details
Born	125 Antioch, Syria, Roman Empire
Died	193 (aged 68) Rome, Roman Empire
Spouse(s)	Lucilla
Children	Lucius Aurellius Commodus Pompeianus
Religion	Roman Paganism

Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus (c. 125 – aft. 193) was a politician and military commander during the Roman Empire. A general under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Pompeianus distinguished himself during Rome's Parthian and Marcomannic Wars. A member of the imperial family due to his marriage to Lucilla, a daughter of Marcus Aurelius, he was a key figure during the Emperor's reign. Though offered the imperial throne three times, he refused to claim the title for himself.

A native of Antioch in Syria, Pompeianus was from relatively humble origins. His father, Tiberius Claudius Quintianus, was a member of the Equestrian Order. His family first received their Roman citizenship during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Pompeianus was a new man ("novus homo") as he was the first member of his family to be appointed as a Senator.

Much of Pompeianus' early life has been lost to history. He participated in the Roman–Parthian War of 161–166 under the commander of Emperor Lucius Verus, likely as a Legionary Commander. Sometime prior to the Parthian campaign, he was elevated to the rank of a Senator. He served with distinction during the war, earning him appointment as Suffect Consul for the remainder of the year 162 AD.

Following the completion the Parthian campaign, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius appointed him military governor of Pannonia Inferior on the Empire's northern frontier along the Danube River. He likely served from 164 until 168. In late 166 or early 167, a force of 6,000 Lombards invaded Pannonia. Pompeianus defeated the invasion with relative ease, but it marked the beginning of a larger barbarian invasion.