Editing Antoninus Pius (section)

=== Favour with Hadrian ===
[[File:Marble bust of Emperor Antoninus Pius. 138-161 CE. From the house of Jason Magnus at Cyrene, modern-day Libya. The British Museum, London.jpg|thumb|left| Marble bust of Antoninus Pius (138–161); British Museum, London]]
Having filled the offices of [[quaestor]] and [[praetor]] with more than usual success,<ref>Traver, Andrew G., ''From polis to empire, the ancient world, c. 800 B.C. – A.D. 500'', (2002) p. 33; Historia Augusta, ''Life of Antoninus Pius'' 2:9</ref> he obtained the [[consul]]ship in 120<ref name="Weigel, Antoninus Pius"/> having as his colleague [[Lucius Catilius Severus]].<ref>E.E. Bryant, ''The Reign of Antoninus Pius''. Cambridge University Press, 1895, p. 12</ref> He was next appointed by the Emperor [[Hadrian]] as one of the four [[proconsul]]s to administer [[Italia (Roman province)|Italia]],{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=149}} his district including [[Etruria]], where he had estates.<ref name="Bryant, p. 15">Bryant, p. 15</ref> He then greatly increased his reputation by his conduct as proconsul of [[Asia (Roman province)|Asia]], probably during 134–135.{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=149}}

He acquired much favor with Hadrian, who adopted him as his son and successor on 25 February 138,{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=148}} after the death of his first adopted son [[Lucius Aelius]],{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=517}} on the condition that Antoninus would in turn adopt Marcus Annius Verus, the son of his wife's brother, and Lucius, son of Lucius Aelius, who afterwards became the emperors [[Marcus Aurelius]] and [[Lucius Verus]].<ref name="Weigel, Antoninus Pius"/> He also adopted (briefly) the name Imperator Titus Aelius Caesar Antoninus, in preparation for his rule.{{sfn|Cooley|p=492}} There seems to have been some opposition to Antoninus's appointment on the part of other potential claimants, among them his former consular colleague Lucius Catilius Severus, then prefect of the city. Nevertheless, Antoninus assumed power without opposition.<ref>Grant, Michael, ''The Antonines: The Roman Empire in Transition'', (1996), Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-13814-0}}, pp. 10–11</ref>