Lucius Alfenus Senecio 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 ...

figure of the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries.

Career

Born in Curculum, Africa (Roman province) ( Djemila,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

), Lucius Alfenus Senecio was a

Numidian Numidia (Berber: ''Inumiden''; 202–40 BC) was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians located in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up modern-day Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisi ...

( Romanised Berber). He served as ''procurator Augusti'' in ''

Gallia Belgica Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and Germany. In 50 BC, a ...

'', then in '' Mauretania Caesariensis'' (196-197?). After

consulship 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 ...

, served as governor of Syria between 200 and 205. Between c. 205 and 207, he was the last governor of all

Roman Britain Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered wa ...

prior to its division into multiple provinces. He restored many of the installations at Hadrian's Wall following the uprisings of earlier years and a Victory dedication mentions his name. Dio Cassius also writes of victories in Britain in 206 and it is therefore likely that he finished the re-occupation of the province and its frontiers. Troubles from the tribes immediately north of the wall however, trouble from the

Maeatae The Maeatae were a confederation of tribes that probably lived beyond the Antonine Wall in Roman Britain. The historical sources are vague as to the exact region they inhabited, but an association is thought to be indicated in the names of two h ...

and the

Caledonian Confederacy The Caledonians (; la, Caledones or '; grc-gre, Καληδῶνες, ''Kalēdōnes'') or the Caledonian Confederacy were a Brittonic-speaking ( Celtic) tribal confederacy in what is now Scotland during the Iron Age and Roman eras. The Gr ...

appear to have required expeditions north of the wall. Senecio seems to have been initially successful; he erected a victory monument at Benwell..

Herodian Herodian or Herodianus ( el, Ἡρωδιανός) of Syria, sometimes referred to as "Herodian of Antioch" (c. 170 – c. 240), was a minor Roman civil servant who wrote a colourful history in Greek titled ''History of the Empire from the Death o ...

records that he requested re-enforcements from emperor

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...

, perhaps to undertake punishment raids in Scotland or for a military expedition led by the emperor himself. His report back to Rome described barbarians rebelling, "overrunning the land, taking booty and causing destruction". Despite being 62 years old, Septimius Severus chose to intervene personally, arriving in 208 to lead new campaigns. When Severus arrived in Britain he charged his youngest son,

Publius Septimius Geta Publius Septimius Geta ( ; 7 March 189 – 19/26 December 211) was Roman emperor with his father Septimius Severus and older brother Caracalla from 209, when he was named ''Augustus'' like his brother, who had held the title from 198. Severus d ...

with the task of administering some aspects of Roman Britain although as

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

rather than as a formal governor. When Severus died at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in 211, his eldest son,

Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor S ...

tried to claim the throne. As part of his efforts to settle matters in Britain before leaving to press his claim, he may have divided the province into Britannia Inferior in the north and Britannia Superior in the south, each with its own governor. Alternatively, the division may have been decreed by Severus sometime previously.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfenus Senecio, Lucius 2nd-century Berber people 3rd-century Berber people 2nd-century births 3rd-century deaths Roman governors of Britain 3rd-century Romans People from Sétif Province Senecio, Lucius