Lucius Junius Caesennius Paetus (c. 20 - 72?) was a Roman

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

, and member of the ''

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; : gentes ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same ''nomen gentilicium'' and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens, sometimes identified by a distinct cognomen, was cal ...

'' Caesennia and Junia, who held several offices in the emperor's service. He was '' consul ordinarius'' for the year 61 as the colleague of Publius Petronius Turpilianus. Judith Ginsburg notes this made him the first '' novus homo'' to reach the ordinary consulship since Quintus Veranius 12 years before.

Early life

Paetus, also known as "Caesennius Paetus" in a number of sources, was possibly the son of Publius Caesennius Paetus, an Etruscan from

Tarquinia Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscans, Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropolis, necropoleis, or cemeteries. Tarquinia was designated as a ...

; the "Lucius Junius" suggests he was adopted by a Lucius Junius. He may also be the great-grandson of Lucius Caesennius Lento.

Career under Nero

Paetus served as a politician and general during the reigns of the

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

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 ...

(54-68) and

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

(69-79). Ginsburg surmises that Paetus achieved the consulship through the influence of a group of senators that included the families of the Vitellii and Flavii. After he stepped down from the consulate in June, Paetus departed Rome to assume the governorship of the imperial province of

Cappadocia Cappadocia (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...

. During his governorship, the general Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo conducted Rome's war with

Parthia Parthia ( ''Parθava''; ''Parθaw''; ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Medes during the 7th century BC, was incorporated into the subsequent Achaemeni ...

over

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. In successive campaigns, Corbulo had established Roman rule over the country, and Paetus was placed in charge of defending it from Parthian counterstrokes. Paetus resented Corbulo's talent as a general. In 62 however, Paetus, at the head of an army that included the legions XII ''Fulminata'' and IV ''Scythica'', suffered a catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Rhandeia against the Parthian and Armenian forces of King

Tiridates I of Armenia Tiridates I (, ; , ) was Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity), King of Armenia beginning in 53 AD and the founder of the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia. The dates of his birth and death are unknown. His early reign was marked by a brief interruption toward ...

. Although relief forces headed by Corbulo were only 50 miles away, Paetus surrendered his fortified camp. He and his legions were shamed by passing under the yoke and were allowed to retreat from Armenia. After his defeat, Paetus' weak character and his incapability to command were revealed, and his military command was entrusted again to Corbulo. Charged with both incompetence and cowardice, Paetus was quickly pardoned by Nero, who dismissively commented that suspense would be harmful to someone of such timidity.

Career under Vespasian

In 72, Paetus, 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 ...

since 70, had sent letters addressed to Vespasian accusing King Antiochus IV of the client Kingdom of

Commagene Commagene () was an ancient Greco-Iranian kingdom ruled by a Hellenized branch of the Orontid dynasty, Orontids, a dynasty of Iranian peoples, Iranian origin, that had ruled over the Satrapy of Armenia. The kingdom was located in and around the ...

, together with his sons Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanes and Callinicus, of planning to revolt against

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and allying themselves with the King of

. It is not known whether these accusations were true or false. After reading the letters, Vespasian felt that he could no longer trust the family of Antiochus IV with the protection of the strategic crossings of the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

River at Samosata, and thus resolved to directly annex Commagene. Paetus invaded the Kingdom of Commagene at the head of ''Legio'' VI ''Ferrata''. The client Kings

Aristobulus of Chalcis Aristobulus V of Chalcis () was a son of Herod of Chalcis and his first wife Mariamne. Herod of Chalcis, ruler of Chalcis in Iturea, was a grandson of Herod the Great through his father, Aristobulus IV. Mariamne was a granddaughter of Herod t ...

and Sohaemus of Emesa also supplied troops to Paetus. The two armies encamped opposite each other, but no battle occurred, as the Commagenians were loath to confront the Roman army. Antiochus Epiphanes, his family, and Callinicus fled to Parthia, while their father, Antiochus IV, fled to

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

. There is, however, a possibility that Epiphanes and Callinicus made a short-lived attempt to resist invasion before fleeing to

. Antiochus IV and his family had never wanted war with

and they wanted to rebut these accusations. Antiochus Epiphanes, with his family and Callinicus, were brought back to Rome with an honour guard, and lived out their lives there. Paetus' subsequent career and date of death are unknown.

Personal life

Paetus married Flavia Sabina, born c. 30, the daughter of Titus Flavius Sabinus and Arrecina Clementina and paternal niece of Vespasian. Their children included two sons: the oldest was named Lucius Junius Caesennius Paetus, consul in 79; the younger Lucius Caesennius Sospes, consul in 114.Ronald Syme
"The Enigmatic Sospes"
''

Journal of Roman Studies The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (The Roman Society) was founded in 1910 as the sister society to the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. The Society is the leading organisation in the United Kingdom for those interest ...

'', 67 (1977), p. 45

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caesennius Paetus, Lucius 1st-century Roman governors of Syria Flavian dynasty 1st-century Roman consuls Ancient Roman generals People of the Roman–Parthian Wars Roman governors of Syria Roman governors of Cappadocia Caesennius Paetus, Lucius Paetus, Lucius Junius 20s births 70s deaths Generals of Nero Generals of Vespasian Ancient Roman adoptees