Caerellius Priscus is the name given to the man on an inscription recovered at Mogontiacum ( Mainz), set up by a governor of

Germania Superior Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesontio' ...

who was afterwards governor of Roman Britain in the late 170s. The name of his son in the inscription implies that his '' gentilicium'' was " Caerellius", which is how Anthony Birley refers to him. Edmund Groag suggested the dedicant might be Asellius Aemilianus proconsul of 192–193, but Birley disagrees. Birley also admits "Caerellius" might be identical with Gaius Caerellius Sabinus, legate of Legio XIII Gemina and afterwards governor of Raetia, but finds several objections to this, most notably that Sabinus' wife was Fufidia Pollitta and the wife of the man in this inscription was named Modestiana.Birley, ''Fasti'', pp. 134 Birley concludes by stating the "most likely" identification of "Caerellius" is with Caerellius Priscus, ''praetor tutelaris'' under Marcus Aurelius and

Lucius Verus Lucius Aurelius Verus (15 December 130 – January/February 169) was Roman emperor from 161 until his death in 169, alongside his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. Verus' succession together with ...

, between the years 161 through 169. This is the same identification that Géza Alföldy makes.Alföldy, ''Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter den Antoninen'' (Bonn: Habelt Verlag, 1977), pp. 186f

Career

The Mainz inscription lists the provinces Caerellius was governor of in a problematic order: Thracia,

Moesia Superior Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; el, Μοισία, Moisía) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River, which included most of the territory of modern eastern Serbia, Kosovo, north-eastern Alban ...

, Raetia,

then Britain. According to Birley, Raetia, typically a province governed by an ex-praetor, is out of place "between two consular provinces". Although Birley argues that Moesia Superior might have been downgraded to praetorian status, it is possible these provinces were not listed in chronological order. Alföldy, following Birley, provides the following dates for Caerellius' governorships: Thracia c. 167 - c. 170, Moesia Superior c. 170 - c. 172,

suffect consul A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...

around 172, Germania Superior c. 174 - c. 177, and likely governor of Roman Britain c. 177–180.

Dio Cassius Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

notes that at the beginning of

Commodus Commodus (; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. He served jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 176 until the latter's death in 180, and thereafter he reigned alone until his assassination. ...

' sole rule, "tribes" crossed the

Antonine Wall The Antonine Wall, known to the Romans as ''Vallum Antonini'', was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Built some twe ...

and defeated a general (στρατηγόν) and his soldiers in Britain. Birley admits there is some disagreement whether by "general" Dio means a legionary legate or provincial governor, but argues that Dio consistently uses that word to indicate a governor. Although it would appear the governor slain was Caerellius, Birley argues that "he was one of the low-quality governors appointed by Commodus soon after his ascension, rather than ... an experienced commander such as 'Caerellius'." In response to this disaster, the Praetorian prefect Tigidius Perennis immediately sent Ulpius Marcellus to replace him, who proceeded to ruthlessly crush the rebellion.Dio Cassius, 72.8.2-6 If Caerellius was not the governor killed in battle, he nevertheless vanishes from history after concluding his term as governor of Britain.

Family

The Mainz inscription attests Caerellius had a wife, Modestiana, a daughter, Germanilla, and a son, Marcianus. Birley suggests Marcianus may be identified with a C(a)erellius Macrinus the ''

Historia Augusta The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, designated heirs and usurpers from 117 to 284. Supposedly modeled on the sim ...

'' (Severus 13.6) listed as executed by order of the Emperor Septimius Severus, presumably because he had supported his rival Clodius Albinus. Birley also admits Caerellius was likely a kinsman to the above-mentioned Sabinus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caerellius Priscus 2nd-century Romans Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Thracia Roman governors of Upper Moesia Roman governors of Raetia Roman governors of Germania Superior Roman governors of Britain Caerellii

Career

Family

See also

References