He claimed to have descended from Celtic and Macedonian Greek royalty, especially Attalus II, ruler of Galatia.
He was also a flamen of the Imperial Cult at Ancyra, where he demonstrated his generosity by providing from his own purse oil to the inhabitants of the city, using the money allocated for this purpose to the maintenance of public buildings.
Mireille Corbier suspects Hadrian had wanted him to handle some thorny problems of administering some of the cities of the province.
[8] Severus was then appointed legatus legionis or commander of Legio IV Scythica from approximately the year 130 to 132,[7] then stationed in Syria; Corbier notes his homonymous son served as military tribune of that legion under him.
[12] Corbier suspects his duties included the same charge that Pliny the Younger and Gaius Julius Cornutus Tertullus were given before him: to sort out the finances of its cities.
First he was curator operum locarumque publicorum et aedium sacrarum ("overseer of public buildings, places, and sacred works") around 140.
[16] Severus returned to Rome in time to participate in the sortition for one of the two consular public provinces, and he received Asia as his to govern in the years 152/153.