Lucius Decidius Saxa (died 40 BC) was a

Roman general Roman generals were often career statesmen, remembered by history for reasons other than their service in the Roman Army. This page encompasses men whom history remembers for their accomplishments commanding Roman armies on land and sea. A * Man ...

in the 1st century BC. He was born in Spain, perhaps of Italian origin. In 49 BC he fought as a supporter of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

in Spain against an army allied with

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

. In 44 BC he was

tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on th ...

of the people and after the assassination of Caesar he was allied to

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

. At the beginning of 43 BC Antony was besieged in Mutina and was supported by Decidius Saxa. In 42 BC, after the founding of the second Triumvirate, Saxa was, together with

Gaius Norbanus Flaccus Gaius Norbanus Flaccus was a Roman Republic, Roman politician and general during the 1st century BC. Of Etruscan civilization, Etruscan descent, Flaccus was the grandson of Gaius Norbanus. His family had suffered under the proscriptions of Lucius C ...

, appointed by Mark Antony to lead the advance force of eight legions into

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

before the

Battle of Philippi The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (of the Second Triumvirate) and the leaders of Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, at ...

. Saxa later went on to be appointed governor of Syria by Antony (41 BC) while Norbanus was elected

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 ...

in 38 BC, recognizing the great prestige of the victory over the

liberatores Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, was assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March (15 March) of 44 BC during a meeting of the Senate at the Curia of Pompey of the Theatre of Pompey in Rome where the senators stabbed Caesar 23 ti ...

. He was heavily defeated near

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

, when

Quintus Labienus Quintus Labienus Parthicus (died 39 BC) was a Roman general in the Late Republic period. The son of Titus Labienus, he made an alliance with Parthia and invaded the Roman provinces in the eastern Mediterranean which were under the control of Mark ...

led a Parthian intervention in Syria in 40 BC. He fled to

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...

where he was captured and executed by the Parthians. His legions reportedly suffered heavy defeats and several of his aquilae were seized, being returned to Rome first after a brief Roman war against Parthia and negotiations by then Roman emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

in 20 BC. The eagle standards were returned together with those captured in 53 BC from Marcus Licinius Crassus, a great propaganda victory for Rome. A brother of Decidius Saxa was his Quaestor in Syria in 40 BC and fought with him against the Parthians, but his soldiers deserted to the enemy so that he had to surrender to Quintus Labienus.Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' 48.25.2 He is also mentioned as the first

Gromatici ''Gromatici'' (from Latin '' groma'' or ''gruma'', a surveyor's pole) or ''agrimensores'' was the name for land surveyors amongst the ancient Romans. The "gromatic writers" were technical writers who codified their techniques of surveying, most ...

Notes

1st-century BC Roman governors of Syria Ancient Roman generals 1st-century BC Romans Year of birth unknown 40 BC deaths People of the Roman–Parthian Wars Prisoners and detainees of the Parthian Empire {{AncientRome-bio-stub