Gaius Vettius Cossinius Rufinus (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

306316) was a politician and senator of the late Roman Empire. In 306 he was made proconsul of

Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaïa'' ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The ...

, but

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized ...

' revolt in Rome prevented Rufinus from taking up the post, since Maxentius did not have jurisdiction in Achaea. He was ''curator'' (i.e., official in charge of maintenance) of the

via Flaminia The Via Flaminia or Flaminian Way was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to ''Ariminum'' (Rimini) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had ...

, of the Tiber riverbed and of Rome's drains, ''corrector'', or governor, of Regio X Venetia et Histria, the province of Diocletian that covered Tuscia Umbria and Campania, all under Maxentius. Wanting to gain the Roman Senate's support,

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given na ...

honoured Rufinus despite his having been a supporter of his rival Maxentius and made him comes Augusti nostri (i.e., to Constantine's colleague in the east, Licinius). Three senators were elected praefectus urbi under Constantine, including Rufinus from 20 August 315 to 4 August 316. Constantine was sure enough of Rufinus' loyalty that he sent him to the east under the authority of Licinius. Rufinus also became consul for 316.Potter, David Stone, ''The Roman Empire at Bay: Ad 180-395'', Routledge, 2004, , p. 388.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vettius Cossinius Rufinus, Gaius 3rd-century births 4th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 4th-century Romans Imperial Roman consuls Roman governors of Campania Urban prefects of Rome