Rufio was an officer of the Roman general and statesman

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

. In 47 BC he was appointed by Caesar as commander-in-chief of the three

Roman legion The Roman legion (, ) was the largest military List of military legions, unit of the Roman army, composed of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens serving as legionary, legionaries. During the Roman Republic the manipular legion comprised 4,200 i ...

s that were stationed in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. The son of a

freedman A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

, Rufio arrived in 48 BC as a member of Caesar's army in Egypt. After Caesar intervened in the

Ptolemaic Ptolemaic is the adjective formed from the name Ptolemy, and may refer to: Pertaining to the Ptolemaic dynasty *Ptolemaic dynasty, the Macedonian Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt founded in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter *Ptolemaic Kingdom Pertaining t ...

struggle for the throne between the siblings

Cleopatra VII Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

and

Ptolemy XIII Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator (, ''Ptolemaĩos''; c. 62 BC – 13 January 47 BC) was Pharaoh of Egypt from 51 to 47 BC, and one of the last members of the Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BC). He was the son of Ptolemy XII and the brother of and co ...

and won the

Alexandrian war The Alexandrian war, also called the Alexandrine war, was a phase of Caesar's civil war in which Julius Caesar involved himself in an Egyptian dynastic struggle. Caesar attempted to mediate a succession dispute between Cleopatra and Ptolemy XII ...

against Ptolemy XIII and his allies (January 47 BC), he stationed three legions in Egypt after placing Cleopatra on the Egyptian throne. These troops belonged to the 27th, 37th, and 39th legions. These troops served to protect but also keep in check the rule of Cleopatra, who despite being Caesar's mistress was not fully trusted by the Romans. Contrary to tradition, Caesar chose Rufio to command his forces despite Roman tradition dictating that only a man of senatorial rank should hold such a position. The main reason for this nomination was Caesar's fear that an influential senator, left behind in Egypt as commander-in-chief, could use the economically strong and strategically important land on the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

as a base to make a bid for power. Rufio, being not of noble birth, could never amass the connections or wealth needed to threaten Caesar. Caesar also seems to have considered his officer very trustworthy; the historian

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is ''De vita Caesarum'', common ...

described Rufio as a lover (''exoletus'') of Caesar.Suetonius, ''Caesar'' 76.3; compare ''

De Bello Alexandrino ''De Bello Alexandrino'' (also ''Bellum Alexandrinum''; ''On the Alexandrine War'') is a Latin work continuing Julius Caesar's commentaries, '' De Bello Gallico'' and '' De Bello Civili''. It details Caesar's campaigns in Alexandria and Asia. A ...

'' 33.3-4

Cultural references

* Rufio appears as the main antagonist of ''The Hidden Ones'', an

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansi ...

for the 2017 video game ''

Assassin's Creed Origins ''Assassin's Creed Origins'' is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the tenth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series and the successor to ''Assassin's Creed Syndicate'' (20 ...

''. He is referred to as Gaius Julius Rufio (possibly to highlight his close relationship to Caesar) and, like Caesar, he is depicted as a member of the fictitious Order of the Ancients, a precursor organization to the

Templar Order The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a military order of the Catholic faith, and one of the most important military orders in Western Christianity. They were founded in 11 ...

. In an effort to reduce the Romans' control over the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...

, the protagonist Bayek assassinates Rufio's lieutenants to draw him out of hiding, before killing Rufio himself once he comes to Sinai in 38 BC to investigate the deaths personally. * Rufio appears in the 1999 two-part miniseries ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

'', in which he was portrayed by John Bowe. * Rufio also appears in the 1963 film ''

'', in which he was portrayed by

Martin Landau Martin James Landau (; June 20, 1928 – July 15, 2017) was an American actor. His career began in the 1950s, with early film appearances including a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's '' North by Northwest'' (1959). His career breakthrough c ...

. * In the 1945 film ''Caesar and Cleopatra'' directed by Gabriel Pascal and based on the play by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

, Rufio is played by Basil Sidney.

Notes

References

* Michael Grant: ''Cleopatra'', 1972, Rev. ed. 1974, German Bergisch Gladbach 1998, , pp. 113–114; 116–117. *

Friedrich Münzer Friedrich Münzer (22 April 1868 – 20 October 1942) was a German classical scholar noted for the development of prosopography, particularly for his demonstrations of how family relationships in ancient Rome connected to political struggles. He d ...

: ''Rufio 3''. In: ''

Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft The Pauly encyclopedias or the Pauly-Wissowa family of encyclopedias, are a set of related encyclopedias on Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman classical studies, topics and scholarship. The first of these, or (1839–1852), was begun by compiler A ...

'', vol. I A,1, Stuttgart 1914, col. 1198. * Christoph Schäfer: ''Kleopatra'', Darmstadt 2006, {{ISBN, 3-534-15418-5, pp. 80–81 with note 105. Ancient Roman generals 1st-century BC Romans 1st-century BC births Year of death unknown Military personnel of Julius Caesar