Sextus Vettulenus Cerialis was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

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 military commander, the 1st legate of Judaea. He was an early supporter of

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 ...

, who appointed Cerialis

suffect consul 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 ...

in either 72 or 73.

Origins

Cerialis was of

Sabine The Sabines (, , , ; ) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains (see Sabina) of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divided int ...

origin. He was born in Reate.Edward Dabrowa, ''Legio X Fretensis: A Prosopographical Study of its Officers (I-III c. A.D.)'' (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 1993), p. 27

Ronald Syme Sir Ronald Syme, (11 March 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. He was regarded as the greatest historian of ancient Rome since Theodor Mommsen and the most brilliant exponent of the history of the Roma ...

speculates that the Sex. Vettulenus Cerialis memorialized with his wife Lusia Galla in an inscription recovered at

Venafro Venafro (Latin: ''Venafrum''; Greek: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Isernia, region of Molise, Italy. It has a population of 11,079, having expanded quickly in the post-war period. Geography Situated at the foot of Mount Santa Croce, elevat ...

was Cerialis' father and mother; if that is the case, his father served as a soldier, and his career was capped as ''

primus pilus The ''primus pilus'' ( "first maniple of triarii") or ''primipilus'' was the senior centurion of the first cohort in a Roman legion, a formation of five double-strength centuries of 160 men each; he was a career soldier and advisor to the l ...

'' of Legio XI. At least one brother is attested for him: Gaius Vettulenus Civica Cerealis, suffect consul in either 72 or 73 according to Syme, or between 73 and 76, according to Gallivan.

Career

Edward Dabrowa lists Cerialis "amongst the Sabine people who, due to Vespasian, gained high ranks and were admitted to the Roman political elite." Based on the most commonly accepted interpretation of an acephalous inscription from

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

, Nero conferred many honors on him. However, his first attested office was as legate or commander of

Legio V Macedonica Legio V Macedonica (the Fifth Macedonian Legion) was a Roman legion. It was established in 43 BC by consul Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus and Augustus, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known as the Roman Emperor, Emperor Augustus). and ...

around the year 67. He held this commission through the

First Jewish–Roman War The First Jewish–Roman War (66–74 CE), also known as the Great Jewish Revolt, the First Jewish Revolt, the War of Destruction, or the Jewish War, was the first of three major Jewish rebellions against the Roman Empire. Fought in the prov ...

to the end of the siege of Jerusalem in 70. Josephus writes that in the summer of 67, after the

Samaritans Samaritans (; ; ; ), are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Hebrews and Israelites of the ancient Near East. They are indigenous to Samaria, a historical region of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah that ...

failed to disarm and disperse, the Fifth Legion under Cerialis' command slaughtered 11,600 of them on

Mount Gerizim Mount Gerizim ( ; ; ; , or ) is one of two mountains in the immediate vicinity of the State of Palestine, Palestinian city of Nablus and the biblical city of Shechem. It forms the southern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated, the nor ...

. Cerialis impressed

with his courage and his success in numerous military actions. After the fall of Jerusalem, Cerialis was appointed governor of

Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...

and legate of

Legio X Fretensis Legio X Fretensis ("Tenth legion of the Strait") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was founded by the young Gaius Octavius (later to become Augustus Caesar) in 41/40 BC to fight during the period of civil war that started the dissolu ...

. He held both offices until at least AD 71, when he was replaced by Sextus Lucilius Bassus. Following his consulship, Cerialis was appointed governor of

Moesia Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; ) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River. As a Roman domain Moesia was administered at first by the governor of Noricum as 'Civitates of Moesia and Triballi ...

, where he is attested by one military diploma dated 28 April 75, and a second dated 7 February 78. An acephalic inscription found in

has been attributed to him, which would attest he was proconsul of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

for the term 83/84.Eck, "Jahres- und Provinzialfasten", p. 307.

Family

Although the name of his wife is not known, Cerialis is considered the father of Sextus Vettulenus Civica Cerialis, ordinary consul in 106.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vettulenus Cerialis, Sextus 1st-century Romans 1st-century Roman governors of Judaea Roman legates Roman governors of Judaea Roman governors of Moesia Roman governors of Africa Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Cerialis