Roman History and Historiography

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Aurelius Antoninus (1), Marcus, 'Caracalla', Roman emperor, 188–217 CE  

Anthony R. Birley

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
07 March 2016
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Aurelius (RE 46) Antoninus (1), Marcus (CE 188–217), nicknamed Caracalla, emperor ce 198–217. Elder son of L. *Septimius Severus, originally called Septimius Bassianus; renamed after M. Aurelius and made Caesar in 195. Augustus in 198, he was consul for the first time with his father in 202 and for the second time with his brother P. *Septimius Geta (2) in 205, when he had his hated father-in-law C. *Fulvius Plautianus killed. Consul for the third time in 208, again with Geta, whom he also hated, he accompanied his father to *Britain, sharing command against the Caledonians. When Severus died, he and Geta abandoned Scotland, making the *wall of Hadrian the frontier again, and returned to Rome. After having Geta killed (26 December 211), a drastic purge followed. To conciliate the soldiers, he raised their pay, creating financial problems. One solution was the ‘Antonine *constitution’; he simultaneously doubled the inheritance tax paid only by citizens, which funded the *aerariummilitare.

Article

Aurelius Antoninus (2), Marcus, 'Elagabalus', Roman emperor, 218–222 CE  

Anthony R. Birley

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Aurelius Antoninus (2), Marcus, the emperor (218–222ce) Elagabalus, was the son of Sex. *Varius Marcellus and *Iulia Soaemias Bassiana, niece of *Iulia Domna. Born probably in 203, as Varius Avitus Bassianus, he was holding the priesthood, hereditary in his mother's family, of the presiding deity of *Emesa in Syria, in 218, when his mother and grandmother *Iulia Maesa used him as figurehead of a rebellion against *Macrinus. He was proclaimed to be son of his mother's cousin M. *Aurelius Antoninus (1) (Caracalla) and renamed after him. After the victory, he took the cult of the god by whose name he is known to Rome, which he reached in July 219. In late 220 his intention to make *Elagabalus (‘deus Sol invictus’) supreme god of the empire aroused open hostility at Rome when he divorced his first wife Julia Paula and married the Vestal virgin Aquilia Severa, a ‘sacred marriage’ to match the union of the god with Juno *Caelestis.

Article

Aurelius Cleander, Marcus  

Anthony R. Birley

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
A freedman of Phrygian origin, chamberlain (a cubiculo) of *Commodus in succession to Saoterus, exercised effective power over the emperor from 185 ce, when the praetorian prefect Perennis was overthrown. Cleander even became prefect himself, with two colleagues and the additional title ‘bearer of the dagger’ (a pugione), but was sacrificed to the angry *plebs during a food shortage in ce 190.

Article

Aurelius, Marcus, Roman emperor, 161–180 CE  

Anthony R. Birley

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
30 July 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Aurelius, Marcus, emperor 161–80ce, was born in 121 and named M. Annius (RE 94) Verus. His homonymous grandfather, M. *Annius Verus , from Ucubi (Espejo) in Baetica, consul for the third time (as ordinarius) in 126 and city prefect, a relative of *Hadrian and an influential figure, brought him up after his father's early death. His mother Domitia Lucilla inherited the fortune created by Cn. *Domitius Afer . From early childhood Marcus was a favourite of Hadrian, who nicknamed him Verissimus. At the age of 15 he was betrothed at Hadrian's wish to Ceionia Fabia, daughter of the man Hadrian adopted as L. *Aelius Caesar . In 138 Hadrian ordered his second heir *Antoninus Pius , whose wife was Marcus' aunt *Annia Galeria Faustina (1) , to adopt Marcus along with Aelius' son Lucius: he now became M. (Aelius) Aurelius Verus Caesar. When Hadrian died, Marcus was betrothed to Antoninus' daughter, his own cousin *Annia Galeria Faustina (2) , instead of Ceionia.

Article

Aurelius Victor, Sextus  

Alexander Hugh McDonald and Antony Spawforth

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
07 March 2016
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography

Aurelius Victor, Sextus, an African, governor of Pannonia Secunda, ce 361, and praefectus urbi, 389, published De Caesaribus (‘On the Caesars’), probably after 360, from Augustus to Constantius II (360). Based on *Suetonius, this imperial history treated biographical material after a moralizing fashion, in the tradition of *Sallust and *Tacitus (1); the writer is pagan, interested in prodigies. The Origo gentis Romanae (‘Origin of the Roman Race’) and De viris illustribus (‘On Distinguished Men’, republican biography) associated with the Caesars in a three-part history are not by his hand.

Article

aurum coronarium  

Fergus Graham Burtholme Millar

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Gold *crowns were offered to rulers and conquerors in the ancient near east and in the Hellenistic world. Similar offerings were made from the early 2nd cent. bce to Roman generals (e.g. Plut. Aem. 34. 5) and rapidly came to be exacted by them. A law of *Caesar (59 bce) enacted that it should not be demanded until a *triumph had been formally decreed.

Article

Aurunci  

T. W. Potter

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography

Neighbours of the *Sidicini in the Latium–Campania border region. Servius (on Aen. 7. 727) identifies them with the Ausones ( = *Oscans), who may once have occupied a large part of southern Italy (called Ausonia). About 313 bce Rome conquered the Aurunci, who lived mainly in dispersed farmsteads and hamlets.

Article

Autronius Paetus, Publius  

Ernst Badian

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography

Quaestor (with *Cicero) 75 bce, legate in Greece 73, was elected consul with P. *Cornelius Sulla for 65, but both were convicted of *ambitus and lost the consulship to their competitors. Involved in the ‘First Catilinarian Conspiracy’ and in that of 63 (see sergius catilina, l.

Article

Aventine  

Ian Archibald Richmond and John Patterson

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Aventine, the southernmost hill of Rome, overlooking the Tiber and separated from the other hills by the Murcia valley, had legendary associations with *Remus. Temples here included those dedicated to *Diana, patroness of a Latin League, and to Juno Regina following her *evocatio from *Veii (392 bce). Until ce 49 the hill was outside the *pomerium, which may explain why ‘foreign’ deities were established here. The temple of *Ceres, Liber (see liber pater), and Libera (493 bce) was headquarters of the plebeian aediles; the hill itself was *ager publicus given to the plebs for settlement in 456 bce, and it remained a cosmopolitan centre of popular politics under the late republic. C. *Sempronius Gracchus was besieged here in 121 bce. Under the empire, however, it became principally a centre of élite housing. To the south-west lay the Emporium and *Monte Testaccio, a hill 36 m.

Article

Avidius Cassius, Gaius  

Anthony R. Birley

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
07 March 2016
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Avidius Cassius, Gaius, son of C. Avidius Heliodorus, ab epistulis of *Hadrian, of Cyrrhus in Syria, was born in Egypt presumably 130ce while his father was there with Hadrian; like many sons of successful equestrians he entered the senate and as legionary legate contributed greatly to Roman victories in L. *Verus' Parthian War (162–6), capturing Ctesiphon and sacking Seleuceia on Tigris. His prowess was praised by *Fronto (Ad amicos 1. 6), whom he provided with memoranda on the war (Ad Verum 2. 3) for a projected History. He became consul at the end of the war (166) and at once governor of Syria, with enhanced responsibility for the entire east at latest in 172, when he crushed the revolt of the Bucoli in Egypt. In spring 175, on a false report of M. *Aurelius' death on the Danube, he was proclaimed emperor and controlled much of the east, including Egypt, for some three months. But his colleague P.

Article

Avidius Nigrinus, Gaius  

Anthony R. Birley

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Gaius Avidius Nigrinus, nephew of *Avidius Quietus, was suffect consul 110 ce and shortly afterwards imperial legate of *Achaia, replacing the normal proconsul, going on to be legate of the recently conquered Dacia. Perhaps still there at *Trajan's death in 117, he was replaced and in 118 put to death at Faventia, his home, for alleged conspiracy against *Hadrian, who had supposedly intended him as his successor (SHAHadr.

Article

Avidius Quietus, Titus  

Anthony R. Birley

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Titus Avidius Quietus, from Faventia, legate of Legio VIII Augusta, proconsul of *Achaia, and suffect consul 93 ce, a Stoic and disciple of P. *Clodius Thrasea Paetus; he supported *Pliny (2) in the senate in 97 and shortly afterwards became governor of Britain (CIL 16.

Article

Avillius Flaccus, Aulus  

Arnaldo Momigliano and Tim Cornell

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography

Schoolfellow of C. *Iulius Caesar (3) and L. *Iulius Caesar (4) and a friend of Tiberius and *Macro. In 29 ce he prosecuted *Vipsania Agrippina (2). As prefect of Egypt (32–8) he was friendly to the Greek elements there, and so anti-Jewish. *Philon (4) attacked him in his Against Flaccus. In 38 he was unexpectedly arrested, condemned at Rome, perhaps on a charge of plotting with Ti. *Iulius Caesar Nero Gemellus and Macro, banished to *Andros, and later put to death on *Gaius (1)'s instructions.

Article

Bacaudae  

John Frederick Drinkwater

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Bacaudae (or Bagaudae), a name of Celtic origin, possibly meaning ‘the warriors’, first applied to the followers of Aelius and Amandus, suppressed in Gaul by *Maximianus in 285 ce, and later given to those involved in more varied extra-legal activities (from banditry to regional rejection of imperial authority) in northern Gaul and NE Spain in the first half of the 5th cent. ce. The sources are very fragmentary and difficult; the most detailed, on the later period, is *Salvianus' On the Government of God (5. 21–7), but even this has to be treated with great care. There is little doubt that the Bacaudae appeared at times of severe military, political and social disruption, but the wide differences in modern interpretations of the phenomenon (e.g. class-warfare between peasants and landlords, efforts at self-help by local aristocrats, hostile reaction to the imposition of state authority) suggest that it has no single explanation. See brigandage.

Article

Baebius Tamphilus, Gnaeus, Roman praetor, 199 BCE  

John Briscoe

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Gnaeus Baebius Tamphilus was praetor in 199 bce, when he suffered a defeat in northern Italy, and was sent back to Rome in disgrace by the consul L. *Cornelius Lentulus. He eventually reached the consulship in 182, when he fought successfully in Liguria, and returned to Rome to hold the elections at which his brother Marcus was chosen as consul.

Article

Baebius Tamphilus, Marcus, Roman praetor, 192 BCE  

John Briscoe

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
07 March 2016
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography

Baebius Tamphilus, Marcus (RE 1, 16, 44) was praetor192 BCE, when he took an advance force to Greece shortly before the invasion by *Antiochus (3) III. In 191 he conducted operations in Thessaly, in co-operation with *Philip (3) V, until the arrival of the consul M'. *Acilius Glabrio (1). Consul in 181, he and his colleague P. Cornelius Cethegus carried the first law on *ambitus: Livy 40. 19. 11. This is probably not identical with the lex Baebia providing that only four praetors be elected in alternate years: Livy 40. 44. 2. (The provision was repealed by 175.) Both consuls commanded in Liguria and in 180 transferred the Apuani to Samnium (ILS 6509). Despite having engaged in little fighting, they were awarded *triumphs.

Article

Ballista  

John Frederick Drinkwater

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Ballista (or Callistus), praetorian prefect of Macrianus junior and Quietus, the boy emperors established in the east by their father, *Macrianus, following the capture of *Valerian (260 ce). Ballista consolidated the regime by halting the main Persian advance into Asia Minor, but, with Quietus, was killed in Emesa by *Septimius Odaenathus after the defeat of the Macriani on the Danube (261).

Article

Bassaeus Rufus, Marcus  

Anthony R. Birley

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Marcus Bassaeus Rufus, praetorian prefect under M. *Aurelius, an Italian of humble origin, rose from the centurionate and primipilate (see centurio; primipilus) to hold four procuratorships, and the prefecture of the *vigiles and of Egypt, before commanding the *praetorian guard from ce 168 until his death some ten years later. He was honoured for his service in the Marcomannic War (ILS1326) and is mentioned by Cassius Dio and Philostratus.

Article

Batavi  

John Frederick Drinkwater

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography

Batavi, a Germanic people, living on the lower Rhine. Though an offshoot of the *Chatti, they helped *Drusus against the Germans in 12 bce, and frequently thereafter provided military support for Rome. Remaining incorporated in the empire after the withdrawal to the Rhine in ce 9, they paid no taxes, and helped *Germanicus attack their fellow Germans in 16. Their warriors formed auxiliary regiments (see auxilia), by the mid-1st cent. serving under their own chiefs; and until 68 they are also found in the personal bodyguard of the emperors. It was they, under the leadership of C. *Iulius Civilis, who headed the great revolt of 69–70. Thereafter they were not prominent in Roman history; and their relationship to the *Franks, who later occupied their territory, is obscure.

Article

Bato (1), chief of the Daesitiates in Illyricum, early 1st cent. CE  

Ronald Syme

Article

Publication History:

Published online:
22 December 2015
Subjects:
  1. Roman History and Historiography
Bato (1), chief of the Daesitiates, raised rebellion in *Illyricum in 6 ce, raided the Dalmatian coast, and fought against the Romans in the Sava valley, and, after the capitulation of his Pannonian allies in 8 ce, retreated southwards. After vainly defending several forts against the Romans, he surrendered and was interned at Ravenna (9 ce).