Quintus Anicius Faustus (fl. late 2nd century – early 3rd century AD) was a Roman military officer and

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 ...

who was appointed suffect consul in AD 198.

Biography

Born either in Uzappa in the province of

Numidia 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 ...

, or in Praeneste in

Italia Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, it has been speculated that Anicius Faustus was possibly the son of a Sextus Anicius Saturninus and Seia Maxima. A member of the third century '' gens Anicia'' and a '' novus homo'', Faustus was appointed the '' Legatus Augusti pro praetore'' (or imperial governor) of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

by 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 ...

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 ...

, a position he held from AD 197 – 201. During this time he built several defensive forts of the

Limes Tripolitanus The ''Limes Tripolitanus'' was a frontier zone of defence of the Roman Empire, built in the south of what is now Tunisia and the northwest of Libya. It was primarily intended as a protection for the tripolitanian cities of Leptis Magna, Sabrath ...

, in southern

and in

Tripolitania Tripolitania (), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province of Libya. The region had been settled since antiquity, first coming to prominence as part of the Carthaginian empire. Following the defeat ...

, in order to protect the province from the raids of nomadic tribes. Anicius Faustus was appointed '' consul suffectus in absentia'' in AD 198, while serving in Numidia. This was followed by his posting as ''Legatus Augusti pro praetore'' of Moesia Superior, which he may have held from possibly AD 202 to 205. He then fell out of favour with Septimius Severus, and this continued through

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 ...

’s reign, possibly due to his close working relationship with Gaius Fulvius Plautianus, who was executed for plotting to overthrow the

Severan Dynasty The Severan dynasty, sometimes called the Septimian dynasty, ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235. It was founded by the emperor Septimius Severus () and Julia Domna, his wife, when Septimius emerged victorious from civil war of 193 - 197, ...

. It wasn't until the reign of

Macrinus Marcus Opellius Macrinus (; – June 218) was a Roman emperor who reigned from April 217 to June 218, jointly with his young son Diadumenianus. Born in Caesarea (now called Cherchell, in modern Algeria), in the Roman province of Mauretania ...

that he returned to favour, with his appointment as the

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a Roman consul, consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military ...

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, succeeding Gaius Julius Asper, a post which he held for two consecutive years, from AD 217 to 219. His

prorogation Prorogation in the Westminster system of government is the action of proroguing, or interrupting, a parliament, or the discontinuance of meetings for a given period of time, without a dissolution of parliament. The term is also used for the period ...

was made at the expense of the distinguished Marcus Aufidius Fronto, whom Macrinus wanted to humiliate. Anicius Faustus is speculated to have married either a Vesia Rustica or a Sergia Paulla, daughter of Lucius Sergius Paullus, consul ordinary 168. He probably had at least one son, Quintus Anicius Faustus Paulinus, who was a suffect consul sometime before AD 230.Leunissen, ''Konsuln und Konsulare'', p. 373

Sources

* Mennen, Inge, ''Power and Status in the Roman Empire, AD 193-284'' (2011) * Pat Southern, ''Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine'', Routledge, 2001, , pp. 45, 295.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anicius Faustus, Quintus 2nd-century Romans 3rd-century Romans Faustus Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Asia Roman governors of Upper Moesia Roman legates Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown