Avidius Cassius
Encyclopedia
Gaius Avidius Cassius was a Roman general and usurper
who briefly ruled Egypt and Syria
in 175.
, a noted orator who was Prefect
of Egypt from 137 to 142 under Hadrian
, and wife Junia Cassia Alexandra. His birthplace is uncertain but he called Alexandria
his 'paternal city' which may suggest he was born there.
n War, as the Legatus
(General
) of Legio III Gallica
, capturing Seleucia
and Ctesiphon
, and managed to enter the Senate
. He became Consul Suffectus
in 160 and sometime between 161 and 163 and Governor
of Syria in 166 and suppressed a revolt of the Bucoli in Egypt that had broken out in 172 and centered in the area of the Pentapolis
of Middle Egypt due to an explosion in grain prices at the time.
after the erroneous news of the death of Marcus Aurelius; the sources also indicate he was encouraged by Marcus's wife Faustina
, who was concerned about her husband's ill health, believing him to be on the verge of death, and felt the need for Cassius to act as a protector in this event, since her son Commodus
was still young (13). The evidence, including Marcus's own Meditations
, supports the idea that Marcus was indeed quite ill, but by the time Marcus recovered, Cassius was already fully acclaimed by the Egyptian legions of II Traiana Fortis and XXII Deitoriana.
At first, according to Cassius Dio, Marcus, who was on campaign against tribes in the north
, tried to keep the rebellion a secret from his soldiers, but after the news had spread among them, he addressed them. In this speech that Dio attributes to Marcus, he laments the disloyalty of "a dearest friend", while at the same time expressing his hope that Cassius would not be killed or commit suicide, so that he could show mercy. The Senate declared Cassius a public enemy.
It is known that Cassius was recognized as emperor by May 3, since a document of that date is recorded as being in the first year of Cassius's reign. The beginning of his rebellion have been in April 175.
Although he seized control of some of the most vital parts of the Roman east — Egypt being an important source of grain for the city of Rome
— Cassius failed to find widespread support for his rebellion. The governor of Cappadocia
, Martius Verus, remained loyal to Marcus Aurelius. Clearly Marcus was in a stronger position, with many more legions available to him than were available to Cassius. "After a dream of empire lasting three months and six days", Cassius was murdered by a centurion
; his head was sent to Marcus, who refused to see it and ordered it buried.
The events of his life are known from Cassius Dio's Roman History, and the Historia Augusta.
Through his maternal great-great grandmother Junia Lepida
(a great grandmother of Cassia Alexandria), Avidius Cassius was a direct descendant (sixth great-grandson) of the first Roman emperor Augustus Caesar, and thus the Julian bloodline would carry on through Avidius' children.
and wife, and had four children:
Roman usurper
Usurpers are individuals or groups of individuals who obtain and maintain the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority. Usurpation was endemic during roman imperial era, especially from the crisis of the third century onwards, when political instability became the rule.The...
who briefly ruled Egypt and Syria
Syria (Roman province)
Syria was a Roman province, annexed in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursuing victory in the Third Mithridatic War. It remained under Roman, and subsequently Byzantine, rule for seven centuries, until 637 when it fell to the Islamic conquests.- Principate :The...
in 175.
Origins
He was the son of Gaius Avidius HeliodorusGaius Avidius Heliodorus
Gaius Avidius Heliodorus was a Roman politician and a noted Orator.He was of Greek origin and became Secretarius ab epistolis under Hadrian and Praefectus of Egypt between 137 and 142 or between 138 and 140....
, a noted orator who was Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of Egypt from 137 to 142 under Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
, and wife Junia Cassia Alexandra. His birthplace is uncertain but he called Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
his 'paternal city' which may suggest he was born there.
Life and career
He had a distinguished military career under Marcus Aurelius during the ParthiaParthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
n War, as the Legatus
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
(General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
) of Legio III Gallica
Legio III Gallica
Legio tertia Gallica was a Roman legion levied by Julius Caesar around 49 BC, for his civil war against the conservative republicans led by Pompey. The cognomen Gallica suggests that recruits were originally from the Gallic Roman provinces. The legion was still active in Egypt in the early 4th...
, capturing Seleucia
Seleucia on the Tigris
Seleucia , also known as Seleucia on the Tigris, was one of the great cities of the world during Hellenistic and Roman times. It stood in Mesopotamia, on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the smaller town of Ctesiphon, in present day Babil Governorate, Iraq.-Seleucid empire:Seleucia,...
and Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon, the imperial capital of the Parthian Arsacids and of the Persian Sassanids, was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia.The ruins of the city are located on the east bank of the Tigris, across the river from the Hellenistic city of Seleucia...
, and managed to enter the Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
. He became Consul Suffectus
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 160 and sometime between 161 and 163 and Governor
Roman governor
A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire...
of Syria in 166 and suppressed a revolt of the Bucoli in Egypt that had broken out in 172 and centered in the area of the Pentapolis
Pentapolis
A pentapolis, from the Greek words , "five" and , "city" is a geographic and/or institutional grouping of five cities...
of Middle Egypt due to an explosion in grain prices at the time.
Emperor
In 175 he was proclaimed Roman EmperorRoman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
after the erroneous news of the death of Marcus Aurelius; the sources also indicate he was encouraged by Marcus's wife Faustina
Faustina the Younger
Annia Galeria Faustina Minor , Faustina Minor or Faustina the Younger was a daughter of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius and Roman Empress Faustina the Elder. She was a Roman Empress and wife to her maternal cousin Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius...
, who was concerned about her husband's ill health, believing him to be on the verge of death, and felt the need for Cassius to act as a protector in this event, since her son Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
was still young (13). The evidence, including Marcus's own Meditations
Meditations
Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy....
, supports the idea that Marcus was indeed quite ill, but by the time Marcus recovered, Cassius was already fully acclaimed by the Egyptian legions of II Traiana Fortis and XXII Deitoriana.
At first, according to Cassius Dio, Marcus, who was on campaign against tribes in the north
Marcomannic Wars
The Marcomannic Wars were a series of wars lasting over a dozen years from about AD 166 until 180. These wars pitted the Roman Empire against the Marcomanni, Quadi and other Germanic peoples, along both sides of the upper and middle Danube...
, tried to keep the rebellion a secret from his soldiers, but after the news had spread among them, he addressed them. In this speech that Dio attributes to Marcus, he laments the disloyalty of "a dearest friend", while at the same time expressing his hope that Cassius would not be killed or commit suicide, so that he could show mercy. The Senate declared Cassius a public enemy.
It is known that Cassius was recognized as emperor by May 3, since a document of that date is recorded as being in the first year of Cassius's reign. The beginning of his rebellion have been in April 175.
Although he seized control of some of the most vital parts of the Roman east — Egypt being an important source of grain for the city 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...
— Cassius failed to find widespread support for his rebellion. The governor of Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
, Martius Verus, remained loyal to Marcus Aurelius. Clearly Marcus was in a stronger position, with many more legions available to him than were available to Cassius. "After a dream of empire lasting three months and six days", Cassius was murdered by a centurion
Centurion
A centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army .Centurion may also refer to:-Military:* Centurion tank, British battle tank* HMS Centurion, name of several ships and a shore base of the British Royal Navy...
; his head was sent to Marcus, who refused to see it and ordered it buried.
The events of his life are known from Cassius Dio's Roman History, and the Historia Augusta.
Through his maternal great-great grandmother Junia Lepida
Junia Lepida
Junia Lepida was a Roman noble woman that lived during the Roman Empire in the 1st century. Lepida was the second born daughter and was among the children born of Aemilia Lepida and Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus, a member of the Junii Silani, a family of Ancient Rome...
(a great grandmother of Cassia Alexandria), Avidius Cassius was a direct descendant (sixth great-grandson) of the first Roman emperor Augustus Caesar, and thus the Julian bloodline would carry on through Avidius' children.
Marriage and children
He married Volusia Vettia or Volusia Maeciana (c. 135 – aft. 175), daughter of Lucius Volusius MaecianusLucius Volusius Maecianus
Lucius Volusius Maecianus was a Roman Jurist, the Tutor in Law of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius.He was praef. ann. and Praefectus of Egypt in 161. When Governor of Alexandria he was slain by the soldiers, as having participated in the rebellion of Avidius Cassius in 175...
and wife, and had four children:
- Avidius Heliodorus
- Avidius Maecianus
- Avidia Alexandra
- Volusia Laodice , born c. 165, married to Quintus Tineius SacerdosQuintus Tineius SacerdosQuintus Tineius Sacerdos was a Roman politician.He was the son of Quintus Tineius Sacerdos Clemens and wife.He was Consul Suffectus I from March to an unknown month 192, Governor of Bithynia et Pontus, Proconsul of Asia sometime between 200 and 210, and Consul Ordinarius II in 219 joint with...
Further reading
- William Smith (ed) (1870), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology Vol 1 p. 626
- Anthony Birley, Marcus Aurelius: A Biography
- Maria Laura Astarita, Avidio Cassio [Italian]
External links
- Relief at Ephesus, including a possible rendering of Avidius Cassius, now headless (third photo on page)