Lucius Alfenus Senecio was a Roman figure of the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries.

Career

Born in Curculum,

Africa (Roman province) Africa was a Roman province on the northern coast of the continent of Africa. It was established in 146 BC, following the Roman Republic's conquest of ancient Carthage, Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of ...

( Djemila,

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

), Lucius Alfenus Senecio was a

Numidian Numidia was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisia and Libya. The polity was originally divided between ...

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

Gallia Belgica Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a Roman province, 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 German ...

'', then in ''

Mauretania Caesariensis Mauretania Caesariensis (Latin for "Caesarea, Numidia, Caesarean Mauretania") was a Roman province located in present-day Algeria. The full name refers to its capital Caesarea, Numidia, Caesarea Mauretaniae (modern Cherchell). The province had ...

'' (196-197?). After

consulship The consuls were the highest elected public officials of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC). Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum''an ascending sequence of public offices to which politicians aspire ...

, served as governor of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

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

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 ...

prior to its division into multiple provinces. He restored many of the installations at

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall (, also known as the ''Roman Wall'', Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Aelium'' in Latin) is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Roman Britain, Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. Ru ...

following the uprisings of earlier years and a Victory dedication mentions his name.

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 ...

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 and the Caledonian Confederacy 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 () 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 of Marcus'' (τῆς με ...

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 cursus honorum, the ...

, 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 – 26 December 211) was Roman emperor with his father Septimius Severus and older brother Caracalla from 209 to 211. Severus died in February 211 and intended for his sons to rule together, but they prove ...

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 Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

rather than as a formal governor. When Severus died at

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

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 AD, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father and then r ...

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