Quintus Naevius Cordus Sutorius Macro (21 BC – AD 38) was a

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the

Praetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard (Latin: ''cohortēs praetōriae'') was a unit of the Imperial Roman army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for the Roman emperors. During the Roman Republic, the Praetorian Guard were an escort fo ...

, from 31 until 38, serving under the Roman Emperors

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

and

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germani ...

. Upon falling out of favour, he killed himself.

Biography

Macro was born in 21 BC at

Alba Fucens Alba Fucens was an ancient Italic town occupying a lofty location (1,000 m) at the foot of the Monte Velino, c. 6.5 km north of Avezzano, Abruzzo, central Italy. Its remains are today in the ''comune'' of Massa d'Albe. History It was ...

, a Roman town at the foot of

Monte Velino Monte Velino is a mountain (2,487 m) in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, central Italy, part of the Abruzzo Apennines. Located nearby the boundary with Lazio, between the Fucino plain and the Aterno, Salto and Velino rivers' valleys, ...

, situated on a hill just to the north of the Via Valeria in Italy. Inscriptional evidence from the ruins of this town reveal that, prior to becoming Praetorian prefect, Macro had served as '' Praefectus vigilum'', prefect of the

vigiles The ''Vigiles'' or more properly the ''Vigiles Urbani'' ("watchmen of the City") or ''Cohortes Vigilum'' ("cohorts of the watchmen") were the firefighters and police of ancient Rome. History The ''Triumviri Nocturni'' (meaning ''three men of th ...

, the Roman

fire brigade A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

and night watch. The date of this appointment and the length of his tenure are unknown.Sandra J. Bingham.
The praetorian guard in the political and social life of Julio-Claudian Rome
''. Ottawa: National Library of Canada (1997), p. 63. Macro was appointed Praetorian prefect by Tiberius after the arrest of

Sejanus Lucius Aelius Sejanus (c. 20 BC – 18 October AD 31), commonly known as Sejanus (), was a Roman soldier, friend and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Of the Equites class by birth, Sejanus rose to power as prefect of the Praetorian ...

. According to

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

, Macro was active in discrediting Sejanus and in directing the subsequent purge against his family and followers. As prefect, Macro wielded considerable influence. He furthered his ambitions by befriending Tiberius' grand-nephew

, one of the Emperor's prospective heirs. According to

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τ� ...

, Macro gained further favour by turning a blind eye to his wife

Ennia Thrasylla Ennia Thrasylla, (about 15 – 38, ''Ennia'' in Greek el, Έννίας, ''Ennia Thrasylla'' in Greek el, Έννία Θράσυλλα) was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 1st century AD in the Roman Empire. Family background Ennia was of La ...

's affair with Caligula, around the year 34.Suetonius, ''The Lives of Twelve Caesars'', Life of Caligul
12
/ref> When Tiberius died in the year 37, Macro sided with the new Emperor Caligula. According to Tacitus, Macro even played a role in bringing about Caligula's rise to power, by ordering Tiberius to be killed after it was revealed that reports of his death had been premature: Caligula had begun to take power immediately upon hearing that Tiberius had died of natural causes but without making sure that Tiberius was dead. Tiberius was still alive and, shortly after, was heard calling for food. In order to prevent an embarrassing and potentially dangerous situation, should Tiberius have reacted angrily to Caligula's hasty ascension to power, Macro "ordered the old Emperor to be smothered under a huge heap of clothes."Tacitus, ''Annals'' VI.50 Macro was confident of rapid promotion for past services but Emperor Caligula was aware of the potential threat Macro posed and soon removed him from office. According to some sources, Macro was promised the governorship of Egypt but upon arriving at Ostia with Ennia to take ship, he was instead arrested and stripped of his office. Macro committed suicide soon after. Macro was able to leave enough money to provide an amphitheatre for his home town of

.Barrett, ''Caligula: The Corruption of Power'', p.79

Cultural depictions

* In the 1954 film, '' Demetrius and the Gladiators'', he was played by Karl ( Killer) Davis * In the 1968 ITV Granada-TV production ''The Caesars'',

Jerome Willis Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name. Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...

played the part of Macro. *

John Rhys-Davies John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor best known for portraying Sallah in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise and Gimli in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy. His other roles include Michael Malone in the 1993 series ''The Untouch ...

played him in the 1976 BBC serial ''

I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Ro ...

.'' * Guido Mannari portrays Macro in ''

''. * In Francesco Vezzoli's fake promotional video, ''Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's "Caligula"'', he was played by

Benicio del Toro Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez (born February 19, 1967) is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen ...

. * In the 2017 American docu-drama miniseries ''

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

'', Macro is portrayed by Michael Morris.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naevius, Quintus, Cordus Sutorius Macro 21 BC births 38 deaths 1st-century Roman governors of Egypt 1st-century Romans Ancient Roman assassins Ancient Romans who committed suicide Joint suicides Quintus, Cordus Sutorius Macro People from the Province of L'Aquila Praetorian prefects