Acacius was a Byzantine imperial curator, active in the late reign of Justinian I

Justinian I

Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...

 (r. 527-565). He is known for his role in a civil disorder

Civil disorder

Civil disorder, also known as civil unrest or civil strife, is a broad term that is typically used by law enforcement to describe one or more forms of disturbance caused by a group of people. Civil disturbance is typically a symptom of, and a form of protest against, major socio-political problems;...

 incident of the 560s. The main source about him is a fragment of John Malalas

John Malalas

John Malalas or Ioannes Malalas was a Greek chronicler from Antioch. Malalas is probably a Syriac word for "rhetor", "orator"; it is first applied to him by John of Damascus .-Life:Malalas was educated in Antioch, and probably was a jurist there, but moved to...

.

Biography

Acacius was reportedly an imperial curator (Greek:βασιλικός κουράτωρ). His duties are not mentioned. He could have served as curator of a domus divina, thus being a vir illustris

Vir illustris

The title vir illustris is used as a formal indication of standing in late antiquity to describe the highest ranks within the senates of Rome and Constantinople...

 (high ranking senator). Or he could be a palace official.

Acacius is known to have had a daughter. When said daughter was raped, Acacius attempted to punish the suspected rapist. The rapist happened to be a member of the Green faction of chariot racing

Chariot racing

Chariot racing was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine sports. Chariot racing was often dangerous to both driver and horse as they frequently suffered serious injury and even death, but generated strong spectator enthusiasm...

. Acacius' actions led to a new conflict between the Greens and the Blues in the Pittacia district of Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

. The fragment can be safely dated to the 560s, dated to between 562 and 565. Malalas elsewhere mentions an incident taking place in Pittacia during October, 562. But it is unknown if these incidents are connected.