Avidius Cassius
Gaius Avidius Cassius | |||||||||
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Egypt | |||||||||
Spouse | Volusia Vettia Maeciana | ||||||||
Issue | Avidius Heliodorus Avidius Maecianus Avidia Alexandra | ||||||||
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Gentes | |||||||||
Father | Gaius Avidius Heliodorus | ||||||||
Mother | Julia Cassia Alexandra | ||||||||
Occupation | Imperial legate |
Gaius Avidius Cassius (c. 130 – July 175 AD) was a Syrian
In 175, Cassius declared himself emperor, because he had received news, from Marcus Aurelius' wife
, especially Syria, which was his homeland. Despite his control of the vital grain production of Egypt, and his command of seven legions, he was heavily outmatched by Aurelius. While Aurelius was amassing a force to defeat Cassius, a centurion of one of Cassius' legions murdered Cassius, sending his head to Aurelius as proof.Early life
Avidius Cassius was born around 130, in the town of
Early career
It is thought that Cassius began his career during the reign of
Cassius rose to prominence rapidly c.164, under the co-emperors
Cassius' legion was by this time in dire need of supplies. The first signs of what became known as the Antonine Plague showed up in his army in 165. Cassius marched back to Syria, carrying with him the spoils taken from his campaign. He sent details of his campaign to Rome, for which he was rewarded with elevation to the Senate. Much of his success was credited to Emperor Lucius Verus, who, although himself an excellent commander, was notedly unafraid of delegating military tasks to more competent generals.[14]
In May of 166, Cassius was made
In c.170, Cassius was given the extraordinary title of Rector Orientis (literally "Supreme Commander of the Orient"), giving him imperium over the entirety of the eastern section of the empire,[18] in order to combat a large rebellion in Egypt, commonly called the Bucolic War. This rebellion was centered in the area of the Pentapolis of Middle Egypt, and was motivated by a rapid rise of grain prices in the area. The Bucoli[a] came close to capturing Alexandria, but were halted by Cassius' troops.[19] Cassius succeeded in putting down this revolt in 175, after using a strategy of dividing the various revolting tribespeople, and then conquering them.[20][21]
Usurpation
In 175, after hearing false reports that Marcus Aurelius had succumbed to his severe illness, Cassius declared himself emperor, claiming that Aurelius' troops in
Aurelius attempted to suppress news of the revolt, but, when it became widespread throughout his camp, chose to address it in a speech. The exact wording of his speech is unknown, as the record given by Cassius Dio is believed to be a free composition, which followed only the outline of Aurelius' actual speech. In the record, Aurelius laments the betrayal of a dear friend, and says that if the danger had been to him alone, he would be willing to "set the issue" between himself and Cassius, before the Senate and the Army, and would have yielded the empire to Cassius, if the senate and army considered him the better leader.[4] He was also recorded as saying that he hoped that Cassius would not be killed or commit suicide, so that he could show mercy.[22] The Historia Augusta, a work both treasured by historians and notorious for its falsehoods, records that Aurelius formed a peace commission among his advisors.[4]
Cassius started the rebellion in a good position. He received large support from the Eastern provinces, especially his homeland of Syria, due to a combination of his distant royal descent, his victories in the Parthian War and the Bucolic War.
Despite controlling some of the most important parts of the Roman East, especially Egypt which was a critical supplier of grain for the city of Rome, Cassius failed to win widespread support for his rebellion.[24] The Roman Senate swiftly declared Cassius a public enemy,[4] and Publius Martius Verus, the governor of Cappadocia, who staunchly opposed the rebellion, rallied public support for Aurelius.[4] Cassius, through the marriage of his daughter, Avidia Alexandra, to Titius Claudius Dryantianus Antonius, had connection to the Licinnii of Lycia, including Claudius Dryantianus's father Tiberius Claudius Agrippinus, who was a consul.[26][24] The aristocratic Licinnii are one of the most well known Lycian families.[27] It is unknown how much of a role Claudius Dryantianus played, although it is known that some considered him to be Cassius' partner in crime. Claudius Dryantianus and Avidia Alexandra were pardoned by Marcus Aurelius, although Claudius Dryantianus' estate was confiscated after his death.[28]
Many nobles throughout the empire opposed the rebellion, one example being
Aftermath
After the death of Cassius, Publius Martius Verus swiftly took control of Syria, and burned all of Cassius' correspondences. Even after the news of Cassius' death had reached Marcus Aurelius, Aurelius was still determined to visit the east. He set off with a body of advisors, along with his wife, Faustina,[30] who died along the way, in a village in south Cappadocia, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Tyana, called Halala. The town was renamed in her honor, and his son, Commodus.[34][30] After the death of Faustina, Aurelius wrote to the Senate, asking them for a report on Cassius' supporters, but specifically saying he desired no bloodshed to punish them, as several retributions had already been carried out in the name of Aurelius. Among these were the killing of Avidius Maecianus, a son of Cassius. Aurelius ordered the banishment of Avidius Heliodorus, another son of Cassius. Avidia Alexandra, the daughter of Cassius, and her husband, were placed under the protection of "an uncle by marriage", believed to be Claudius Titianus, a Lycian senator.[34]
Personal life
Dio spoke highly of Cassius, saying that he was a "good man" whose only fault was that his father, Heliodorus, was given his post of
Cassius was married to Volusia Vettia Maeciana, daughter of Lucius Volusius Maecianus,[5] and had at least three children (the Historia Augusta implies he may have had more):[35]
- Avidius Heliodorus – first son of Cassius, who was banished by order of the emperor.[36]
- Avidius Maecianus – second son of Cassius, who was killed after the revolt had been put down.[36]
- Avidia Cassia Alexandra – daughter of Cassius, who was forced to live under the protection of an uncle, along with her husband, Titius Claudius Dryantianus Antonius.[36] Avidia and Claudius had four children.[37]
- Claudius Cassius Agrippinus – he became a senator and was "ad honores admissus."[37]
- Claudia Maeciana Alexandra.[37]
- Claudia Dryantilla Platonis – one of the women who took part in the
- Claudia Vettia Agrippina[37] – according to Christian Settipani her husband was Tiberius Claudius Themistocles Marathonius (fl. 150 AD), by whom she had a daughter:[38]
- Claudia – wife of Claudius Capitolinus Bassus (fl. 180 AD), proconsul of Asia.[38] Her husband seems to have also been married to a Numeria Marcella.[b][39][40] Claudia and Capitolinus Bassus had a daughter:[38][41][42]
- Claudia Capitolina – described as theosebēs (pious) for contributing to the building of a synagogue, although it is not likely that she was
- Amnia Demetrias – wife of the senator Anicius Faustus (c. 240 – after 300), who was appointed consul in 298 AD.[38][40]
- Claudia Capitolina – described as theosebēs (pious) for contributing to the building of a synagogue, although it is not likely that she was
- Claudia – wife of Claudius Capitolinus Bassus (fl. 180 AD), proconsul of Asia.[38] Her husband seems to have also been married to a Numeria Marcella.[b][39][40] Claudia and Capitolinus Bassus had a daughter:[38][41][42]
Nerva–Antonine family tree
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Notes:
Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree.
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References:
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In popular culture
- Roman Empire: Reign of Blood
- Gladiator Begins
- 20s A Difficult Age,[44] one of the series' antagonist is based on and named after Cassius.
Footnotes
- ^ Some sources label them the Bucolic or Boukoloi.
- ^ This other wife's existence is inferred by the name of a daughter Claudia (Bassa?) Numeria Marcella.
- ^ Claudia Capitolina's sons were called 'ό κρατίοτος,' the mightiest, the strongest, and according to biblical scholar, Paul Trebilco, they may also have been Roman senators.
References
Citations
- ^ Butcher 2004, p. 441.
- ^ a b c Birley 2001, p. 130.
- ^ Kean & Frey 2005, p. 95.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bowman, Garnsey & Rathbone 2000, p. 177.
- ^ a b c Astarita 1983, p. 27.
- ^ a b c Potter 2009, p. 15.
- ^ Astarita 1983, p. 18.
- ^ Astarita 1983, p. 31.
- ^ Astarita 1983, p. 34.
- ^ Astarita 1983, p. 32.
- ^ Astarita 1983, p. 38.
- ^ a b Birley 2001, p. 140.
- ^ Boatwright, Gargola & Talbert 2006, p. 249.
- ^ Birley 2001, p. 141.
- ^ Birley 2001, p. 142.
- ^ Birley 2001, p. 144.
- ^ Birley 2001, p. 145.
- ^ a b c Potter 2009, p. 139.
- ^ Adams 2013, p. 147.
- ^ Smith 1870, p. 626.
- ^ Birley 2001, p. 174.
- ^ a b Smith 1870, p. 441.
- ^ Birley 2001, p. 185.
- ^ a b c d e Birley 2001, p. 186.
- ^ Butcher 2004, p. 218.
- ^ Jameson 1966, pp. 125–126.
- ^ Jameson 1966, p. 125.
- ^ Jameson 1966, p. 126.
- ^ Birley 2001, p. 187.
- ^ a b c d Bowman, Garnsey & Rathbone 2000, p. 178.
- ^ Birley 2001, p. 188.
- ^ Birley 2001, p. 189.
- ^ Butcher 2004, p. 40.
- ^ a b Bowman, Garnsey & Rathbone 2000, p. 179.
- ^ Astarita 1983, p. 26.
- ^ a b c Birley 2001, p. 191.
- ^ a b c d e Jameson 1966.
- ^ a b c d e Settipani, Christian (26 October 2021). Adam et Eve ou la généalogie impossible, Les liens généalogiques avec l'Antiquité : mythe ou réalité (Lecture). La Fédération Française de Généalogie, Pantin, France.
- ^ Raepsaet-Charlier, Marie-Thérèse (2002). "Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum. Volumen sextum. Inscriptiones urbis Romae Latinae. Pars octava. Títulos et imagines collegit schedasque comparavit S. P. Fasciculus tertius". L'Antiquité classique. 71: 395 – via Persée.
- ^ ISBN 1-900934-02-7
- ^ JSTOR 26566510– via JSTOR.
- ^ a b Moga, Iulian. "Jewish society and family tradition in funerary inscriptions" (PDF). Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica. 23 (2): 315–322.
- ^ a b c Riley, Joan (11 October 2017). Beyond the Mainstream: The Cultural Environment of Asia Minor as a Matrix for Expressions of a Higher God. PhD thesis submitted to the School of Humanities and Creative Arts of Flinders University. pp. 305–306.
- ^ "Be Comix – The Blue Madjai". www.becomix.me. Be Comix. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
Bibliography
- Adams, Geoff W. (2013). Marcus Aurelius in the Historia Augusta and beyond. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739176382.
- Astarita, Maria Laura (1983). Avidio Cassio (in Italian). Ed. di Storia e Letteratura. ASIN B0000ECRQV.
- ISBN 978-0-415-17125-0.
- Boatwright, Mary T.; Gargola, Daniel J.; Talbert, Richard J.A. (2006). A Brief History of the Romans. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195187144.
- Bowman, Alan K.; Garnsey, Peter; Rathbone, Dominic (2000). The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 11. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521263351.
- Butcher, Kevin (2004). Coinage in Roman Syria: Northern Syria, 64 BC–AD 253. Royal Numismatic Society. ISBN 9780901405586.
- Jameson, Shelagh (1966). "Two Lycian Families". Anatolian Studies. 16: 125–137. S2CID 161893470.
- Kean, Roger Michael; Frey, Oliver (2005). The Complete Chronicle of the Emperors of Rome. Thalamus. ISBN 9781902886053.
- Potter, David (2009). A Companion to the Roman Empire. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9781405199186.
- Smith, William, ed. (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology Vol I. OCLC 2455785.
Further reading
- Millar, Fergus (1995). The Roman Near East, 31 B.C.–A.D. 337. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-77886-3.