Flavius Astyrius or Asturius ( 441–449) was a general and a politician of the
Western Roman Empire.
Biography
Astyrius was the father-in-law of
Merobaudes and belonged to an aristocratic family.
He followed a military career: between 441 and 443 he is attested as ''dux'' or ''magister utriusque militiae''. In 441 he was in Tarraconensis (Spain), where he defeated the
Bagaudae
Bagaudae (also spelled bacaudae) were groups of peasant insurgents in the later Roman Empire who arose during the Crisis of the Third Century, and persisted until the very end of the Western Empire, particularly in the less-Romanised areas of Ga ...
. In 443 he was succeeded by his son-in-law Merobaudes.
He was appointed consul for the year 449. At the beginning of his office he was in Gaul (probably in the capital city of the praetorian prefecture,
Arelate
Arles (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province ...
), and
Nicetius delivered a panegyric in his honour.
A
consular diptych produced by Astyrius in 449 is preserved at
Liège
Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège.
The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
. The diptych shows Astyrius seated on a
curule chair wearing complete consular ''regalia'' and the inscription ''Flavius Astyrius vir clarissimus'' ''et inlustris'' ''comes'' ''ex magistro utriusque militiae consul ordinarius''.
[Mathisen.]
Notes
Bibliography
* "Fl. Astyrius", ''
Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'', Volume 2, pp. 174–175.
* Ralph W. Mathisen, ''People, Personal Expression, and Social Relations in Late Antiquity'', University of Michigan Press, 2003, , pp. 18–19.
{{end
5th-century Romans
5th-century Roman consuls
Comites
Imperial Roman consuls
Magistri militum