Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus

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Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus [1] [2] (died 217 [2] ) was a Roman nobleman of Syria and held high military and political commands.

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Background and career

Although Alexianus was a Roman citizen who was born and raised in Emesa (modern Homs, Syria), little is known on his origins. It has been assumed that Alexianus was born in c. 155. [3] What is known about him is from surviving inscriptional and Roman historical evidence. Through marriage he was a relation to the Royal family of Emesa and the ruling Severan dynasty of the Roman Empire.

He was an Equestrian officer [4] [2] serving as a praefectus and tribune in the Roman military, and then as a procurator of the food supply in Rome, being stationed in Ostia. [3]

Later he was promoted to the Senate by the Emperor Septimius Severus, his brother-in-law. [2] Having entered the Senate with the rank of Praetor in 194, [3] Alexianus was made Legatus in the Legio IV Flavia Felix [4] and later served as governor of Raetia, [2] which may be dated to 196/197. [3] During his proconsulship of Raetia, he dedicated an altar to the Emesene God Elagabalus. [4] The altar and its inscription, still intact, mentions him as a priest of the deified Emperor Titus. [3]

Alexianus served as consul in 200, [4] even perhaps as early as 198 or 199. [3] After his consulship, Alexianus was not appointed to further military or political positions, probably due to the enmity of the Praetorian prefect Gaius Fulvius Plautianus. [4] After the death of Plautianus in 205, Alexianus took part in Septimius Severus’ expedition in Britain where he acted as a Comes (Companion) to the emperor [2] from 208 until 211. [4]

Under Septimius Severus’ successor Caracalla, for two years Alexianus served as a Prefect of the Italian orphanages. [3] He served as a Legatus in Dalmatia in c. 214 [4] and later as a Proconsul in Asia [2] and in Mesopotamia. [5] In 216–217, Alexianus became a comes to Caracalla on his campaign against the Parthian Empire. [4] He died from old age on his way to Cyprus, sent there by Caracalla in early 217 to act as an advisor to the Governor. [3]

Marriage and issue

Alexianus married the Syrian noblewoman Julia Maesa, [4] the first daughter of Julius Bassianus, a high priest of the Temple of the Sun. The temple was dedicated to the Syrian Aramaic Sun God El-Gebal (counterpart to the Phoenician Baal) in Emesa. The younger sister of Maesa was Septimius Severus' empress Julia Domna, [2] who was the mother of the emperors Caracalla and Geta.

Maesa bore two distinguished daughters [2] to Alexianus who were born and raised in Syria:

Among his grandchildren were the emperors Elagabalus and Severus Alexander. [5]

Severan dynasty family tree

References

  1. ↑ AE 1962, 229
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hazel, Who's who in the Roman World, p. 34
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus" at Livius.org (last accessed 21 June 2020)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Birley, Septimius Severus: The African Emperor, p. 223
  5. 1 2 Julius Avitus’ article at ancient library [usurped]

Sources

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