Caerellius Priscus is the name given to the man on an inscription recovered at Mogontiacum (

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

), set up by a governor of

Germania Superior Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesont ...

who was afterwards governor of

Roman Britain Roman Britain was the territory that became the Roman province of ''Britannia'' after the Roman conquest of Britain, consisting of a large part of the island of Great Britain. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. Julius Caes ...

in the late 170s. The name of his son in the inscription implies that his '' gentilicium'' was " Caerellius", which is how Anthony Birley refers to him. Edmund Groag suggested the dedicant might be Asellius Aemilianus proconsul of 192–193, but Birley disagrees. Birley also admits "Caerellius" might be identical with Gaius Caerellius Sabinus, legate of Legio XIII Gemina and afterwards governor of Raetia, but finds several objections to this, most notably that Sabinus' wife was Fufidia Pollitta and the wife of the man in this inscription was named Modestiana.Birley, ''Fasti'', pp. 134 Birley concludes by stating the "most likely" identification of "Caerellius" is with Caerellius Priscus, ''praetor tutelaris'' under

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

and

Lucius Verus Lucius Aurelius Verus (; 15 December 130 – 23 January 169) was Roman emperor from 161 until his death in 169, alongside his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. Verus' succession together with Ma ...

, between the years 161 through 169. This is the same identification that Géza Alföldy makes.Alföldy, ''Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter den Antoninen'' (Bonn: Habelt Verlag, 1977), pp. 186f

Career

The Mainz inscription lists the provinces Caerellius was governor of in a problematic order:

Thracia Thracia or Thrace () is the ancient name given to the southeastern Balkans, Balkan region, the land inhabited by the Thracians. Thrace was ruled by the Odrysian kingdom during the Classical Greece, Classical and Hellenistic period, Hellenis ...

, Moesia Superior, Raetia,

then Britain. According to Birley, Raetia, typically a province governed by an ex-praetor, is out of place "between two consular provinces". Although Birley argues that Moesia Superior might have been downgraded to praetorian status, it is possible these provinces were not listed in chronological order. Alföldy, following Birley, provides the following dates for Caerellius' governorships: Thracia c. 167 - c. 170, Moesia Superior c. 170 - c. 172, suffect consul around 172, Germania Superior c. 174 - c. 177, and likely governor of Roman Britain c. 177–180.

Dio Cassius Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

notes that at the beginning of

Commodus Commodus (; ; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was Roman emperor from 177 to 192, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father Marcus Aurelius and then ruling alone from 180. Commodus's sole reign is commonly thought to mark the end o ...

' sole rule, "tribes" crossed the Antonine Wall and defeated a general (στρατηγόν) and his soldiers in Britain. Birley admits there is some disagreement whether by "general" Dio means a legionary legate or provincial governor, but argues that Dio consistently uses that word to indicate a governor. Although it would appear the governor slain was Caerellius, Birley argues that "he was one of the low-quality governors appointed by Commodus soon after his ascension, rather than ... an experienced commander such as 'Caerellius'." In response to this disaster, the Praetorian prefect Tigidius Perennis immediately sent Ulpius Marcellus to replace him, who proceeded to ruthlessly crush the rebellion.Dio Cassius, 72.8.2-6 If Caerellius was not the governor killed in battle, he nevertheless vanishes from history after concluding his term as governor of Britain.

Family

The Mainz inscription attests Caerellius had a wife, Modestiana, a daughter, Germanilla, and a son, Marcianus. Birley suggests Marcianus may be identified with a C(a)erellius Macrinus the ''

Historia Augusta The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, Caesar (title), designated heirs and Roman usurper, usurpers from 117 to 284. S ...

'' (Severus 13.6) listed as executed by order of the 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 cursus honorum, the ...

, presumably because he had supported his rival Clodius Albinus. Birley also admits Caerellius was likely a kinsman to the above-mentioned Sabinus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caerellius Priscus 2nd-century Romans Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Thracia Roman governors of Upper Moesia Roman governors of Raetia Roman governors of Germania Superior Roman governors of Britain Caerellii

Career

Family

See also

References