Quintus Aemilius Laetus See 1950Picard

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Quintus Aemilius Laetus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintus_Aemilius_Laetus) Quintus Aemilius Laetus (?–193) was a prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard, from 191 until his death in 193. He acceded to this position upon the deaths of his predecessors Regillus and Julius Julianus, by appointment of emperor Commodus. When the behavior of Commodus turned increasingly erratic during the early 190s, Laetus is thought to have been implicated in the conspiracy that led to the emperor's murder on December 31, 192. The plot was a calculated attempt to advance the city prefect Publius Helvius Pertinax to the throne, but the assassination inadvertently initiated a period of civil war known as the Year of the Five Emperors, during which the Roman Empire witnessed five different claimants to the imperial power. The year opened with the brief reigns of Pertinax and Didius Julianus, before erupting to a full scale war between the generals Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus and Septimius Severus. Although Laetus himself had been responsible for the accession of Pertinax, his claim to the imperial purple was opposed by the majority of the Praetorian Guard, forcing Pertinax to secure their support with an excessive promise of money. When he managed to pay only half of the promised sum however, he was deserted by Laetus and killed by rogue Praetorians. In one of the most infamous episodes in Roman history,[1] the guard then proceeded to sell the Empire by auction to Didius Julianus. In response, the armies of Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus and Septimius Severus rose in revolt, and marched on Rome. When his demise appeared imminent, Didius Julianus ordered the execution of Laetus and the conspirators against Commodus, on suspicion that they would side with Severus. Quintus Aemilius Laetus was born in Thaenae. (See also the article on the assassination of Commodus, 0193Rahman.pdf , or the original article at http://thecorner.wordpress.com/2006/07/21/chapter-three-the-overthrow-of-commodus-and- septimius%e2%80%99-rise-to-power/ ) ============================================= .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

ASKO TIMONEN the Historia Augusta
Criticism of Defense. The Blaming of "Crudelitas" in the "Historia Augusta"* ASKO TIMONEN The Historia Augusta (HA) is the coilection of the biographies of the em perors and famous pretenders from Hadrian to Numerian. It constitutes an enigma in that we know neither its a.uthor nor the exact time of pub lication. For the purpose of this report, I have adopted the broad dating used by P. Soverini, as such a stance provides a general foundation in terms of the research of the history of mentalities and ideologies. Soverini dates publication of the compilation at about the fourth or the fifth century.1 In this paper the concept of crudelitas - the use of "unnecessary" vio lence - shall be discussed with reference to the political situation in a histo riographical sense. Of further interest here is the methodology used in the biographical historiography in that the author utilizes imperial propaganda for his own purpose of blaming a ruler, in this case L. Septimius Severus, of being cruel. To illustrate this concept, I shall interpret the author's comments on the autobiography of Septimius Severus as weil as the au thor's excerpts which were inspired either by this very autobiography or by Severus' speeches to the senate. The author of the HA was weil acquainted with the now-lost autobiography of Septimius Severus: Uxorem tune Mar ciam duxit, de qua tacuit in historia vitae privatae (Sept. Sev. 3.2). Vitam suam privatam publicamque ipse composuit ad fidem, solum tarnen vitium crudelitatis excusans (Sept. Sev. 18.6). In vita sua Severus dicit ..
[Show full text]
The Roman Augustae: the Most Powerful Women Who Ever Lived a Collection of Six Silver Coins
The Roman Augustae: The Most Powerful Women Who Ever Lived A Collection of Six Silver Coins Frieze of Severan Dynasty All coins in each set are protected in an archival capsule and beautifully displayed in a mahogany-like box. The box set is accompanied with a story card, certificate of authenticity, and a black gift box. The best-known names of ancient Rome are invariably male, and in the 500 years between the reigns of Caesar Augustus and Justinian I, not a single woman held the Roman throne—not even during the chaotic Crisis of the Third Century, when new emperors claimed the throne every other year. This does not mean that women were not vital to the greatest empire the world has ever known. Indeed, much of the time, the real wielders of imperial might were the wives, sisters, and mothers of the emperors. Never was this more true than during the 193-235, when three women—the sisters Julia Maesa and Julia Domna, and Julia Maesa’s daughter Julia Avita Mamaea—secured the succession of their husbands, sons, and grandsons to the imperial throne, thus guaranteeing that they would remain in control. The dynasty is known in the history books as “the Severan,” for Julia Domna’s husband Septimius Severus, but it was the three Julias—and none of the men—who were really responsible for this relatively transition of power. These remarkable women, working in a patriarchal system that officially excluded them from assuming absolute power, nevertheless managed to have their way. Our story begins in Emesa, capital of the Roman client kingdom of Syria, in the year 187 CE.
[Show full text]
The Political and Military Aspects of Accession of Constantine the Great
Graeco-Latina Brunensia 24 / 2019 / 2 https://doi.org/10.5817/GLB2019-2-2 The Political and Military Aspects of Accession of Constantine the Great Stanislav Doležal (University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice) Abstract The article argues that Constantine the Great, until he was recognized by Galerius, the senior ČLÁNKY / ARTICLES Emperor of the Tetrarchy, was an usurper with no right to the imperial power, nothwithstand- ing his claim that his father, the Emperor Constantius I, conferred upon him the imperial title before he died. Tetrarchic principles, envisaged by Diocletian, were specifically put in place to supersede and override blood kinship. Constantine’s accession to power started as a military coup in which a military unit composed of barbarian soldiers seems to have played an impor- tant role. Keywords Constantine the Great; Roman emperor; usurpation; tetrarchy 19 Stanislav Doležal The Political and Military Aspects of Accession of Constantine the Great On 25 July 306 at York, the Roman Emperor Constantius I died peacefully in his bed. On the same day, a new Emperor was made – his eldest son Constantine who had been present at his father’s deathbed. What exactly happened on that day? Britain, a remote province (actually several provinces)1 on the edge of the Roman Empire, had a tendency to defect from the central government. It produced several usurpers in the past.2 Was Constantine one of them? What gave him the right to be an Emperor in the first place? It can be argued that the political system that was still valid in 306, today known as the Tetrarchy, made any such seizure of power illegal.
[Show full text]
Collector's Checklist for Roman Imperial Coinage
Liberty Coin Service Collector’s Checklist for Roman Imperial Coinage (49 BC - AD 518) The Twelve Caesars - The Julio-Claudians and the Flavians (49 BC - AD 96) Purchase Emperor Denomination Grade Date Price Julius Caesar (49-44 BC) Augustus (31 BC-AD 14) Tiberius (AD 14 - AD 37) Caligula (AD 37 - AD 41) Claudius (AD 41 - AD 54) Tiberius Nero (AD 54 - AD 68) Galba (AD 68 - AD 69) Otho (AD 69) Nero Vitellius (AD 69) Vespasian (AD 69 - AD 79) Otho Titus (AD 79 - AD 81) Domitian (AD 81 - AD 96) The Nerva-Antonine Dynasty (AD 96 - AD 192) Nerva (AD 96-AD 98) Trajan (AD 98-AD 117) Hadrian (AD 117 - AD 138) Antoninus Pius (AD 138 - AD 161) Marcus Aurelius (AD 161 - AD 180) Hadrian Lucius Verus (AD 161 - AD 169) Commodus (AD 177 - AD 192) Marcus Aurelius Years of Transition (AD 193 - AD 195) Pertinax (AD 193) Didius Julianus (AD 193) Pescennius Niger (AD 193) Clodius Albinus (AD 193- AD 195) The Severans (AD 193 - AD 235) Clodius Albinus Septimus Severus (AD 193 - AD 211) Caracalla (AD 198 - AD 217) Purchase Emperor Denomination Grade Date Price Geta (AD 209 - AD 212) Macrinus (AD 217 - AD 218) Diadumedian as Caesar (AD 217 - AD 218) Elagabalus (AD 218 - AD 222) Severus Alexander (AD 222 - AD 235) Severus The Military Emperors (AD 235 - AD 284) Alexander Maximinus (AD 235 - AD 238) Maximus Caesar (AD 235 - AD 238) Balbinus (AD 238) Maximinus Pupienus (AD 238) Gordian I (AD 238) Gordian II (AD 238) Gordian III (AD 238 - AD 244) Philip I (AD 244 - AD 249) Philip II (AD 247 - AD 249) Gordian III Trajan Decius (AD 249 - AD 251) Herennius Etruscus
[Show full text]
Publius Septimius Severus, Roman Emperor
PUBLIUS SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS, ROMAN EMPEROR By Bill Markham Called the African Emperor, not because he was black. He was of Phoenician background (his father was Punic and his mother Roman/Italian). The Phoenicians colonized parts of North Africa and founded Carthage in about 800 BCE. Carthage and Rome fought the Punic wars of the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, with Rome being the victor. Carthage was destroyed in 146 BCE. Born in Lepcis Magna, North Africa, 145AD The ruins of this city can still be seen. Severan Dynasty Began with Severus‟ accession to power and ended in 235 CE with the murder of Alexander Severus, his great-nephew. Both Alexander Severus and his mother, Julia Mamaea, were murdered. Early Career Made a senator by the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Quaestor of Sardinia and then a Tribune. (Quaestor was any public official responsible for finance and administration in various areas of the government and the military. Tribune was an officer elected by the plebeians to protect their rights from arbitrary acts of the patrician magistrates.) Married Julia Domna (his second wife, a Syrian) – they had two sons, Caracalla and Geta. Appointed commander of the Legions in Pannonia by Commodus. Commodus, Emperor (177–192) He was the son of Marcus Aurelius, whose reign was mostly taken up in war with the Germans. Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations at this time. Was not such an able administrator as was his father. Spent a lot of his time fighting as a gladiator in the arena – he never lost. Lavished and spoilt the Praetorian Guard so as to remain in power.
[Show full text]
Paying the Roman Soldiers in the East (1St-2Nd Century AD)
Paying the Roman soldiers in the East (1st-2nd century AD) Johan van Heesch Arrian of Nicomedia, the governor (legatus pro praetore) of the province of Cappadocia, made his inspection tour by ship around the military outposts of the Roman army around the eastern shores of the Black Sea in AD 131-132. In Apsarus where five cohorts were stationed, as well as in Sebastopolis, he not only inspected the arms, the construction of the camp and the provisions of food, but also – and special mention is made of this – distributed the soldiers’ pay (misthophora) 1. Which coins were actually used when paying soldiers? Where they of gold, of silver or of bronze, and did the Roman authorities in the East use mainly local coin issues, or coins minted in Rome, or both? This study concerns the Eastern part of the Roman Empire (Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt) from the first to the second centuries AD (Augustus to Commodus), mainly because we already know some of the answers for the republican era and for the third century and can refer to that knowledge 2. My focus will be on precious metal coinages though bronze coins were essential for daily transactions. It will be argued that Roman aurei and denarii minted in the West (Rome) were the main currencies for the pay of the armies in the East, probably with the exception of Egypt. Local (or regional) silver series were supplementary only; they were of prime importance in providing the former client kingdoms with a (traditional) currency of their own, and may originally have been designed to pay the soldiers of the former client kings who had been absorbed in the Roman army.
[Show full text]
Julia Domna: the Most Powerful Woman Who Ever Lived Silver Denarius
Julia Domna: The Most Powerful Woman Who Ever Lived Silver Denarius All coins in each set are protected in an archival capsule and beautifully displayed in a mahogany -like box. The box set is accompanied with a story card, certificate of authenticity, and a black gift box. The best-known names of ancient Rome are invariably male, and in the 500 years between the reigns of Caesar Augustus and Justinian I, not a single woman held the Roman throne—not even during the chaotic Crisis of the Third Century, when new emperors claimed the throne every other year. This does not mean that women were not vital to the greatest empire the world has ever known. Indeed, much of the time, the real wielders of imperial might were the wives, sisters, and mothers of the emperors. Never was this more true than during the reign of Septimius Severus, when Julia Domna—his wife, his Augusta, and his primary advisor—working in a patriarchal system that officially excluded them from assuming absolute power, nevertheless managed to have her way. Our story begins in Emesa, capital of the Roman client kingdom of Syria, in the year 187 CE. The 42-year-old widower Septimius Severus, a tribune of the plebs, had been told by astrologers that he would find his future wife in the province. He met with Julius Bassianus, the pagan high priest and aristocrat, who introduced him to his brilliant 17-year-old daughter, Julia Domna, a prodigy who was well versed in philosophy—and a great beauty. The two wed the following year.
[Show full text]
The Consecratio Coins for Commodus – a Reconsideration
Liesbeth CLAES♣* THE CONSECRATIO COINS FOR COMMODUS – A RECONSIDERATION Abstract – ﬈is article proposes a review of the consecratio coins for Commodus issued shortly a﬇er this emperor’s death. Most standard numismatic catalogues list these coins as being of doubtﬔl authenticity. However, a typological and stylistic analysis of the several assembled specimens of the type suggests that it was issued by an eastern mint, most likely Alexandria. Furthermore, the die axis and the message content of the specimens suggest that the coins were issued in 195 ad, indicating that the emission of the coins was related to the retrospective adoption of Septimius Severus into the Antonine House. he consecratio coins for commodus are often used by modern scholars as authoritative source material, mainly in the discussion of [1] T Commodus’ renovatio memoriae during the reign of Septimius Severus. Indeed, generally, these coins are attributed to the mint of Rome and dated to 195 ad, the year in which Commodus received the honour of deiﬁcation from the Senate and in which Septimius Severus was retrospectively adopted into [2] the Aurelian gens. ﬈ree diﬀerent consecratio varieties are recorded in the __________________ * Radboud University Nijmegen. E: [email protected] My gratitude goes out to Dr. Richard Abdy (British Museum), Prof.Dr. Johan van Heesch (Coin Cabinet of the Royal Library of Belgium), Prof. Dr. Olivier Hekster (Radboud Uni- versity Nijmegen) and Prof. Dr. Fleur Kemmers (Goethe Universität Frankﬔrt am Main), who kindly read through earlier versions of this article. ﬈eir comments have greatly im- proved the original dra﬇. ﬈anks also to Dr.
[Show full text]
Ancient Roman Emperors Checklist Compliments of Littleton Coin Company, LLC
The Ancient Roman Emperors Checklist Compliments of Littleton Coin Company, LLC How to Use This Checklist: To help us serve you better, please put a line through the coins you already have in your Customer Number_________________________ collection. Tear off the top copy of the checklist and return it to us. For your convenience, save the bottom copy to keep track of your growing ancient Roman coin collection. Name __________________________________________________ If you acquire any coins from other sources in the future, you can send us a note and we’ll cross off those issues in our Address ________________________________________________ copy of your checklist. Please note: some of the coins listed may not be included in your club selections but are available upon request. Thank you for letting us serve you. City ________________________ State _______Zip_____________ Mail TOP copy to: Littleton Coin Company, LLC, 1309 Mt. Eustis Road, Littleton, NH 03561-3735 Aelius*** Constantius Gallus** Honorius** Nero* Theodosius I** A.D. 136-138 A.D. 351-354 A.D. 393-423 A.D. 54-68 A.D. 379-395 Aemilian*** Crispus** Hostilian*** Nero ClaudiusDrusus*** Theodosius II*** A.D. 253 A.D. 317-326 A.D. 251 Died 9 B.C. A.D. 402-450 Agrippa** Decentius*** Jovian*** Nero & Drusus Caesar*** Tiberius*** 18 -12 B.C. A.D. 350-353 A.D. 363-364 A.D. 37-38 A.D. 14-37 Allectus*** Delmatius*** Julian II** Nerva** Titus*** A.D. 293-296 A.D. 335-337 A.D. 360-363 A.D. 96-98 A. D. 79-81 Anastasius I*** Diadumenian*** Julian of Pannonia*** Numerian*** Trajan** A.D.
[Show full text]
UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Methods of Remembrance: The Images of Septimius Severus Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7zp4t1kt Author Inglis, James Dean Publication Date 2011 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Methods of Remembrance: The Images of Septimius Severus A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History by James Dean Inglis June 2011 Thesis Committee: Professor Michele R. Salzman, Chairperson Professor Steven Chrissanthos Professor Randolph Head Copyright by James Dean Inglis 2011 The Thesis of James Dean Inglis is approved ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside Acknowledgements The work I have produced in this thesis is the culmination of long hours spent in conversation with many of my colleagues at the University of California Riverside. I owe a special note to Kyle McStay and Colin Whiting, both of whom helped me grapple with the questions arising from my investigations. Their eagerness to support the pursuit of academic knowledge has propelled me to complete this work. Colin's efforts to read the many versions of my conclusion alone are worthy of great appreciation. My colleague from the English department, Claire Nava, may also not be forgotten. I am gratified by her help editing my syntax. I also owe a deep debt of gratitude to Professor Michele Salzman. Her efforts to read, edit, reread, and re-edit my Thesis have opened my eyes to the idiosyncrasies that appear repeatedly in my writing.
[Show full text]
Roman Emperor
ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-019-0366-y OPEN Statistical reliability analysis for a most dangerous occupation: Roman emperor Joseph Homer Saleh1* ABSTRACT Popular culture associates the lives of Roman emperors with luxury, cruelty, and debauchery, sometimes rightfully so. One missing attribute in this list is, surprisingly, that this mighty office was most dangerous for its holder. Of the 69 rulers of the unified Roman d d 1234567890():,; Empire, from Augustus ( . 14 CE) to Theodosius ( . 395 CE), 62% suffered violent death. This has been known for a while, if not quantitatively at least qualitatively. What is not known, however, and has never been examined is the time-to-violent-death of Roman emperors. This work adopts the statistical tools of survival data analysis to an unlikely population, Roman emperors, and it examines a particular event in their rule, not unlike the focus of reliability engineering, but instead of their time-to-failure, their time-to-violent-death. We investigate the temporal signature of this seemingly haphazardous stochastic process that is the violent death of a Roman emperor, and we examine whether there is some structure underlying the randomness in this process or not. Nonparametric and parametric results show that: (i) emperors faced a significantly high risk of violent death in the first year of their rule, which is reminiscent of infant mortality in reliability engineering; (ii) their risk of violent death further increased after 12 years, which is reminiscent of wear-out period in reliability engineering; (iii) their failure rate displayed a bathtub-like curve, similar to that of a host of mechanical engineering items and electronic components.
[Show full text]
Roman Empire Roman Empire
NON- FICTION UNABRIDGED Edward Gibbon THE Decline and Fall ––––––––––––– of the ––––––––––––– Roman Empire Read by David Timson Volum e I 1 Chapter 1 9:25 2 But the superior merit of Agricola... 10:54 3 The terror of the Roman arms added weight... 9:24 4 Nine centuries of war had gradually introduced... 9:21 5 The camp of a Roman legion presented the appearance... 10:04 6 Ancient Gaul, as it contained the whole country... 10:36 7 Such was the state of Europe under the Roman emperors. 10:43 8 Chapter 2 8:46 9 Notwithstanding the fashionable irreligion which prevailed... 9:08 10 Till the privileges of Romans had been progressively extended... 7:33 11 So sensible were the Romans of the influence of language... 8:54 12 Hope, the best comfort of our imperfect condition... 7:47 13 It is natural to suppose that the greatest number... 11:11 14 We have computed the inhabitants, and contemplated... 9:38 15 Whatever evils either reason or declamation have imputed... 7:08 16 But it is no easy task to confine luxury... 11:44 17 Chapter 3 6:08 18 Amidst this confusion of sentiments... 9:08 19 Although Augustus considered a military force… 8:09 20 By declaring themselves the protectors of the people... 10:39 2 21 I: The death of Caesar was ever before his eyes. 9:49 22 Nerva had scarcely accepted the purple... 10:09 23 If a man were called to fix the period in the history... 12:44 24 Chapter 4 9:31 25 One evening (A.D.
[Show full text]