Anicius Auchenius Bassus (prefect)
Encyclopedia
Anicius Auchenius Bassus (floruit 382-384) was a politician of the Roman Empire
.
. He belonged to the gentes Anicia
and Auchenia; in some inscriptions he is called "restitutor generis Aniciorum", a reference either to the fact that he was adopted into the Anicii when no other male members were still alive or, more probably, that for some time he was the only male in the family, before he married and had sons. It is known that both his father and his grandfather were consuls; for this reason, his father has been identified with Amnius Manius Caesonius Nicomachus Anicius Paulinus, consul in 334, his grandfather with Amnius Anicius Iulianus, consul in 322. He married Turrenia Honorata and had several sons; two of them have been identified with the Anicius Auchenius Bassus
attested as consul in 408 and with Tyrrenia Anicia Iuliana.
His career is known thanks to an inscription. At the beginning of the career he was questor candidatus and pretor tutelaris, a personal unification of several offices. Between 372 and 382 is to be dated his next office, the one of proconsul
Campaniae, governor of Campania
; in this capacity he is attested to have repaired the bath of Antium . Between November 22, 382, and August 25, 383 he was praefectus urbi
of Rome
. In this capacity he investigated a dispute between Cyriades and Auxentius about the building of a bridge and a debt to the arcs vinaria (the money for wine donations to the people). In 384 he was investigated for possible misconduct in his office.
Bassus was a Christian; he probably was the judge in a trial for heresy against bishop Ephesius, of the Luciferian current, whom he acquitted.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
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Biography
Bassus was a native of Beneventum and patron of that city, as well as of Fabrateria Vetus and, by family tradition, of NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. He belonged to the gentes Anicia
Anicia (gens)
The gens Anicia was a plebeian family at Rome, mentioned first towards the end of the 4th century BC The first of the Anicii under to achieve prominence under the Republic was Lucius Anicius Gallus, who conducted the war against the Illyrii during the Third Macedonian War, in 168 BC.A noble family...
and Auchenia; in some inscriptions he is called "restitutor generis Aniciorum", a reference either to the fact that he was adopted into the Anicii when no other male members were still alive or, more probably, that for some time he was the only male in the family, before he married and had sons. It is known that both his father and his grandfather were consuls; for this reason, his father has been identified with Amnius Manius Caesonius Nicomachus Anicius Paulinus, consul in 334, his grandfather with Amnius Anicius Iulianus, consul in 322. He married Turrenia Honorata and had several sons; two of them have been identified with the Anicius Auchenius Bassus
Anicius Auchenius Bassus (consul 408)
Anicius Auchenius Bassus was a politician of the Roman Empire.In 408 he was appointed consul. According to B.L. Twyman, he represents the "mainline" of the gens Anicia....
attested as consul in 408 and with Tyrrenia Anicia Iuliana.
His career is known thanks to an inscription. At the beginning of the career he was questor candidatus and pretor tutelaris, a personal unification of several offices. Between 372 and 382 is to be dated his next office, the one of proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
Campaniae, governor of Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
; in this capacity he is attested to have repaired the bath of Antium . Between November 22, 382, and August 25, 383 he was praefectus urbi
Praefectus urbi
The praefectus urbanus or praefectus urbi, in English the urban prefect, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and held high importance in late Antiquity...
of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. In this capacity he investigated a dispute between Cyriades and Auxentius about the building of a bridge and a debt to the arcs vinaria (the money for wine donations to the people). In 384 he was investigated for possible misconduct in his office.
Bassus was a Christian; he probably was the judge in a trial for heresy against bishop Ephesius, of the Luciferian current, whom he acquitted.