Gaius Julius Priscus (fl. 3rd century) was a Roman soldier and member 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 ...

in the reign of Gordian III.

Life

Priscus was born in the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

of Syria, possibly in Damascus, son of a Julius Marinus a local Roman citizen, possibly of some importance. The name of his mother is unknown, but his brother was Marcus Julius Philippus, later the Roman Emperor known as "Philip the Arab". Priscus was probably older than Philip, since the latter's political career was pushed by the former's own influence. According to several inscriptions, Priscus was Praefectus of the province of

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

a frontier province at the border of Persia, therefore highly militarized. He was the Procurator of Macedonia, second in command to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

's governor and held judicial responsibilities in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

. Priscus became a member of the Praetorian Guard around 242 during Gordian III Persian campaign, and, when Timesitheus – the praetorian prefect – died in 243, he convinced the young emperor to substitute him with his own brother Philip. For a year, Priscus and Philip served as ''de facto'' regents of Gordian III. After Gordian's death in 244, Priscus' brother Philippus became the new emperor. As his brother and trusted ally, Priscus remained in the East, while Philip travelled to Rome. Priscus held supreme power in the Eastern provinces and was referred to in inscriptions as ''Rector Orientis''. His rule was severe and oppressive. Following his brother's directives, Priscus collected heavy taxes that eventually led to rebellion and the uprising of Jotapianus, one of the four usurpers reported for Philip's reign. Apparently, Priscus managed to control this rebellion. Nothing is known on Priscus after the outbreak of Jotapianus' revolt and the facts surrounding his death are lost to history. {{DEFAULTSORT:Julius Priscus, Gaius 3rd-century Romans 3rd-century Arabs Crisis of the Third Century Praetorian prefects People of Roman Syria Priscus, Gaius