Gaius Ceionius Rufius Volusianus (c. 246 – c. 330) was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

senator who had a lengthy political career and who was appointed

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

at least twice, the known dates being AD 311 and 314.

Biography

It has been speculated that Rufius Volusianus may have been the son of Ceionius Varus, the ''

Praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, an ...

'' of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in AD 284. His early career is unknown, but it is speculated that he held a suffect consulship around 280 under the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Probus. Around 282 he was appointed by the emperor Carinus to the

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ...

ar position of '' Corrector Italiae'', with his area of administration being centred on central and southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. He held this post until about 290. From 305 to 306, Volusianus was appointed the proconsular

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. When the

Roman usurper Roman usurpers were individuals or groups of individuals who obtained or tried to obtain power by force and without legitimate legal authority. Usurpation was endemic during the Roman imperial era, especially from the crisis of the third cent ...

Maxentius was recognized as emperor in Africa, Volusianus attached himself to his court. Around 309, Volusianus was made Maxentius’ Praetorian Prefect, an office he held until 310. He was sent by Maxentius to recover the province of Africa, which had rebelled and acclaimed Domitius Alexander emperor, causing severe food shortages in Rome. He crossed over to Africa with a small but well-trained force and proceeded to defeat the poorly armed rebels. His troops then wrought havoc in

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the cla ...

and other African cities. Volusianus then trapped Alexander in

Cirta Cirta, also known by various other names in antiquity, was the ancient Berber and Roman settlement which later became Constantine, Algeria. Cirta was the capital city of the Berber kingdom of Numidia; its strategically important port city ...

which was sacked. The captured Alexander was strangled, and his supporters were purged from their positions of authority and killed. Having reclaimed the province, Volusianus returned to Rome. As a reward for his service in North Africa, from 28 October 310 to 28 October 311, Volusianus was the ''

'' of

. This was a special honor, as his taking up the posting in October 310 coincided with the very day five years before when Maxentius was acclaimed as emperor. From September 311 until the end of the year, he was the

of Maxentius alongside Aradius Rufinus. This may have been an attempt to appease the aristocracy of Rome who were becoming discontented with Maxentius’ rule. With the defeat and death of Maxentius at the hands of

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

in 312, Volusianus transferred his loyalty to the new emperor. He was recognized as one of the '' Comiti domini nostri Constantini invicti et perpetui semper Augusti'' (or Companion of the emperor Constantine), making him one of several senators who served under both Maxentius and Constantine, and his subsequent career under Constantine showed that the emperor was conscious of the need to win over the loyalty of the senatorial elite in Rome. As his periods in office during the reign of Maxentius were not recognized, Volusianus was again appointed Urban Prefect of Rome, a position he held from 8 December 313 until 20 August 315. During this period he was also styled ''iudex sacrarum cognitionum'', meaning he presided over judicial cases in the name of the emperor. This was followed by his appointment as ''consul prior'' alongside

Petronius Annianus Gaius Petronius Arbiter"Gaius Petronius Arbiter"
Trajan's Forum Trajan's Forum ( la, Forum Traiani; it, Foro di Traiano) was the last of the Imperial fora to be constructed in ancient Rome. The architect Apollodorus of Damascus oversaw its construction. History This forum was built on the order of the em ...

, dedicated to the “restorer of the human race, enlarger of the Roman empire and dominion, and founder of eternal security.” He also may have played a role in the construction of the

Arch of Constantine The Arch of Constantine ( it, Arco di Costantino) is a triumphal arch in Rome dedicated to the emperor Constantine the Great. The arch was commissioned by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milv ...

, which was dedicated to the emperor after Constantine returned to Rome in July 315. However, in late 315, Volusianus was dismissed from office and later exiled by decree of the Senate as a result of his enemies gaining the ear of the emperor and bringing him into disgrace. Volusianus was a member of the ''

Quindecimviri sacris faciundis In ancient Rome, the were the fifteen () members of a college (''collegium'') with priestly duties. They guarded the Sibylline Books, scriptures which they consulted and interpreted at the request of the Senate. This ''collegium'' also oversaw ...

'' as well as possibly being one of the ''

Septemviri epulonum The (Latin for "feasters"; sing. ''epulo'') arranged feasts and public banquets at festivals and games ''( ludi)''. They constituted one of the four great religious corporations (''quattuor amplissima collegia'') of ancient Roman priests. Esta ...

''. His family owned lands in

Volaterrae Volterra (; Latin: ''Volaterrae'') is a walled mountaintop town in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its history dates from before the 8th century BC and it has substantial structures from the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods. History Volt ...

and North Africa. Volusianus was married to a Nummia Albina, and had at least one son, Ceionius Rufius Albinus, who was one of the consuls of 335.Cameron, pg. 138

References

* Bagnall, Roger S., ''Consuls of the Later Roman Empire'' (1987) * Cameron, Alan, ''The Last Pagans of Rome'' (2010) * Chenault, Robert R., ''Rome Without Emperors: The Revival of a Senatorial City in the Fourth Century CE'' (2008) * Martindale, J. R.; Jones, A. H. M, ''The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'', Vol. I AD 260–395, Cambridge University Press (1971) * Van Dam, Raymond, ''Remembering Constantine at the Milvian Bridge'' (2011)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ceionius Rufius Volusianus, Gaius 240s births 4th-century deaths 3rd-century Romans 4th-century Romans Rufius Volusianus, Gaius Imperial Roman consuls Praetorian prefects Roman governors of Africa Urban prefects of Rome Epulones of the Roman Empire Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain