[1] Shortly after his ascension to the imperial throne, Domitian appointed Pegasus urban prefect, one of the most prestigious offices in a senatorial career.
[2] Professor Edward Champlin of Princeton University provides evidence to show that ships of the imperial fleet were often named after swift and powerful winged beasts.
Brian Jones, author of The Emperor Domitian, writes, "At all events, he and his brother were committed Flavians at the right time and, despite their comparatively humble background and possibly eastern origin, were amply rewarded.
[7] One of the military tribunes of the Legio IV Flavia stationed in Dalmatia at the time was Gaius Petillius Firmus, the younger son of Quintus Petillius Cerialis;[8] since governors often appointed relatives to hold the commission of one of the military tribunes in their province,[9] this has led some to speculate that Pegasus is somehow related to the young Firmus.
Lastly, a number of personages were appointed Urban Prefect between the years 81 and 91 who must also be accommodated in that decade, including Marcus Arrecinus Clemens, Gaius Rutilius Gallicus, and Titus Aurelius Fulvus, listing them in the order Jones suggests they held the office.