Gaius Julius Alexion
Gaius Julius Alexion (
Family
Alexion was born to the monarchs
Alexion's mother was a princess from
The name Alexion is a variant of the ancient Greek name Alexander.[3] The name Alexander was a dynastic name in the Emesani Royal Family;[4] the Seleucid dynasty; the Ptolemaic dynasty[5] and perhaps Alexion's parents named him an intent to recover their heritage and connections to Alexander the Great. Alexion was a descendant of the Seleucid dynasty; the Ptolemaic dynasty and a distant relative of Alexander the Great through his paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather.
Life
Alexion was born and raised in Emesa. After his father died, Alexion succeeded his father as Priest King of Emesa. Alexion ruled as a Priest King from 73 until his death in 78, thus he was a contemporary of the ruling Roman emperor Vespasian. He was the priest of the Emesene Sun God Elagabalus. Little is known on him. What is known about Alexion is from surviving inscriptions from Emesa.[6]
There was a noted sepulchral Greek inscription on the
ΓΑΙΟϹΙΟΥΛΙΟϹ
ΦΑΒΙΑϹΑΜϹΙΓΕ
ΡΑΜΟϹΟΚΑΙϹΕΙΛ
ΑϹΓΑΙΟΥΙΟΥΛΙΟΥ
ΑΛΕΞΙΩΝΟϹΥΙΟϹ
ΖΩΝΕΠΟΙΗϹΕΝ
ΑΥΤΩΚΑΙΤΟΙϹΙΛ
ΟΙϹΕΤΟΥϹϞΤ[10]
Γάϊος Ἰούλιος, Φαβίᾳ, Σαμσιγέραμος ὁ καὶ Σεί[λ]ας, Γαΐου Ἰουλίου Ἀλεξίωνος υἱός, ζῶν ἐποίησεν [ἑ]αυτῷ καὶ τοῖς ἰ[δί]οις, ἔτους ϟτʹ[11]
- Gaius Julius, Fabia, Sampsigeramus, also called Seilas, son of Gaius Julius Alexion, while still living made this for himself and his family, year 390
After the death of Alexion, the generations after him are not recorded sufficiently to accurately present a pedigree. A descendant of Alexion's is the Emesene high priest Gaius Julius Bassianus, who was the father of the Roman Empress Julia Domna and another possible descendant was the Palmyrene Queen of the 3rd century Zenobia.[7]
| Ancestors of Gaius Julius Alexion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References
- ^ Levick, Julia Domna, Syrian Empress, p.xx
- ^ Ptolemaic Genealogy - Cleopatra Selene, Footnote 10[self-published source?]
- ^ Alexion meaning and name origin
- ^ Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor p.71
- ^ Ptolemaic Genealogy - Alexander Helios, Footnote 1[self-published source?]
- ^ Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor p.71
- ^ a b Chad 1972, p. 92.
- ^ Temporini, Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im spiegel der neueren Forschung p.219
- ^ Millar 1993, p. 84.
- ^ Waddington 1870, p. 586.
- ^ Waddington 1870, p. 589.
Sources
- Kingdom of Commagene
- Royal Egyptian Genealogy: Ptolemaic Descendants[self-published source?]
- Ptolemaic Genealogy - Cleopatra Selene[self-published source?]
- Ptolemaic Genealogy - Alexander Helios[self-published source?]
- Alexion meaning and name origin
- Chad, Carlos (1972). Les Dynastes d'Émèse (in French). Dar el-Machreq.
- Millar, Fergus (1993). The Roman Near East. ISBN 9780674778863.
- Waddington, W. H. (1870). Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie(in French).
- H. Temporini & W. Haase, Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im spiegel der neueren Forschung, Walter de Gruyter, 1977
- D.W. Roller, The Building Program of Herod the Great, University of California Press, 1998
- A.R. Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor, Routledge, 1999
- J.P. Brown, Israel and Hellas, Volume 3, Walter de Gruyter, 2001
- M. Chahin, The Kingdom of Armenia, Routledge, 2001
- B. Levick, Julia Domna, Syrian Empress, Taylor & Francis, 2007