Gaius Caecina Tuscus (Greek ''Gaius Kokina'') was a 1st-century Roman politician and

Prefect of Egypt During the Roman Empire, the governor of Roman Egypt ''(praefectus Aegypti)'' was a prefect who administered the Roman province of Egypt with the delegated authority ''(imperium)'' of the emperor. Egypt was established as a Roman province in con ...

(AD 63-66) during the reign of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

, and is mentioned by

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

. Tuscus was a member of the Caecinae, an Etruscan family of

Volaterrae Volterra (; Latin: ''Volaterrae'') is a walled mountaintop town in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its history dates from before the 8th century BC and it has substantial structures from the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods. History Vo ...

, one of the ancient cities of Etruria.

Named Prefect of the Praetorian Guard

According to Fabius Rusticus, he was named Prefect of the Praetorium in 56, in place of

Burrus ''Burrus'' is a genus of shield bugs in the tribe Podopini Podopinae, known as turtle bugs, are a subfamily of the insect family Pentatomidae. The type genus is '' Podops''. Tribes and Genera ''BioLib'' lists: Brachycerocorini Auth. Davidov ...

. But Caecina did not manage to take office, as Burrus retained control of the Praetorians through

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People, fictional characters and language * Seneca (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname : :* Seneca the Elder (c. 54 BC – c. AD 39), a Roman rhetorician, writer and father ...

's influence.

Prefect of Egypt

In 63, he was appointed governor of Egypt. There are papyrus records of Tuscus addressing concerned veteran soldiers. On the immunity of Roman legionaries, see P. Yale Inventory 1528. On July 17, 64 AD, he is mentioned in a declaration of property in

Oxyrhynchus Oxyrhynchus ( ; , ; ; ), also known by its modern name Al-Bahnasa (), is a city in Middle Egypt located about 160 km south-southwest of Cairo in Minya Governorate. It is also an important archaeological site. Since the late 19th century, t ...

Riots of Alexandria

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, long-standing tensions between the Jews and Greek inhabitants led to riots in AD 66. Tuscus failed to control the situation. In 66, he was dismissed by the emperor when it became known that he had made use of the bathrooms that had been built for Nero's trip to Egypt before Nero had opened it. In May 66, Nero appointed

Tiberius Alexander Tiberius Julius Alexander (fl. 1st century) was an equestrian governor and general in the Roman Empire. Born into a wealthy Jewish family of Alexandria but abandoning or neglecting the Jewish religion, he rose to become the 2nd procurator of Jude ...

, one of the two most prestigious posts available to an equestrian along with

Prefect of the Praetorian Guard The praetorian prefect (; ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming the Emperor's chief aid ...

Exile

In 67, Caecina was exiled by Nero. However, he is known to have returned to Rome in 69.SMITH, William (ed.). Dictionary of greek and roman biography and mythology. Vol. I. London: Walton and Maberly, 1841, p. 530.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caecina Tuscus, Gaius 1st-century Roman governors of Egypt 1st-century Romans Tuscus, Gaius Praetorian prefects Roman governors of Egypt