Gaius Julius Sampsiceramus (; 78 or 79 AD.), "from the Fabia tribe, also known as Seilas, son of Gaius Julius Alexion," was the builder of a mausoleum that formerly stood in the necropolis of

Tell Abu Sabun The necropolis of Emesa, also known as the necropolis of Tell Abu Sabun, was an ancient necropolis of modern-day Homs, in Syria. Excavations begun in August 1936 uncovered a total of 22 tombs before the greater part of this necropolis was made to ...

(in modern-day

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

, Syria), as recorded on an inscription said to have belonged to the monument. His relatedness to the

Sampsigeramids The Emesene (or Emesan) dynasty, also called the Sampsigeramids or the Sampsigerami or the House of Sampsigeramus (), were a Roman client dynasty of Syrian priest-kings known to have ruled by 46 BC from Arethusa and later from Emesa, Syria, until ...

(the Emesene dynasty of priest-kings) has been deemed possible, probable, or has even been accepted,; . in which case through

Gaius Julius Alexion Gaius Julius Alexion (, after 56 - 78) was a Syrian Prince and Roman Client Priest King of Emesa. He was the son of Syrian king Sohaemus and Queen Consort Drusilla. Family Alexion was born to the monarchs Sohaemus of Emesa and Drusilla. The ...

According to

Maurice Sartre Maurice Sartre (born 3 October 1944) is a French historian, an Emeritus professor of ancient history at the François Rabelais University, a specialist in ancient Greek and Eastern Roman history, especially the Hellenized Middle East, from Alexan ...

, the owner's Roman citizenship, attested by his ''

tria nomina Over the course of some fourteen centuries, the Romans and other peoples of Italy employed a system of nomenclature that differed from that used by other cultures of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, consisting of a combination of personal and ...

'', strongly supports relatedness to the royal family. The lack of allusion to royal kinship is best explained if the dynasty had been deprived of its kingdom shortly before the mausoleum was built and the said kingdom had been annexed to the

Roman province of Syria Roman Syria was an early Roman province annexed to the Roman Republic in 64 BC by Pompey in the Third Mithridatic War following the defeat of King of Armenia Tigranes the Great, who had become the protector of the Hellenistic kingdom of Syria. ...

, which occurred very likely between 72 and the construction of the mausoleum. As worded by Andreas Kropp, "what the builder was really keen on stressing is that he was a Roman citizen bearing the ''tria nomina''." According to

Christian Settipani Christian Settipani (born 31 January 1961) is a French genealogist, historian and IT professional, currently working as the Technical Director of a company in Paris. Biography Settipani holds a Master of Advanced Studies from the Paris-Sorb ...

, Sampsigeramus had a son named Gaius Julius Longinus Sohaemus, by whom he had a grandson, Gaius Julius Avitus, and two great-grandchildren, Julia Bassa and

Sohaemus of Armenia Gaius Julius SohaemusBirley, ''Septimius Severus: the African emperor'', p.224 (; died 180) was a Roman client king of Armenia. Life Sohaemus, a prominent person in the Roman Empire in the 2nd century, was from the Orontid dynasty of Commagen ...

References

Sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sampsiceramus Silas, Gaius Julius People from Roman Syria 1st-century Romans Year of birth unknown Sampsiceramus, Gaius 1st-century people Emesene dynasty