Gnaeus Octavius (died 162 BC) was a Roman politician and general who served as

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

in 165 BC and was the builder of the

Porticus Octavia The Porticus Octavia (Octavian Portico) was a portico in ancient Rome, built by Gnaeus Octavius in 168 BC to commemorate a naval victory over Perseus of Macedonia. It stood between the Theatre of Pompey and the Circus Flaminius. Pliny describes ...

Family

Octavius was from the

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of ...

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...

Octavia and was the first member of the gens to be elected consul. His father also had the

praenomen The ''praenomen'' (; plural: ''praenomina'') was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the ''dies lustricus'' (day of lustration), the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the bi ...

Gnaeus and was a praetor in 205 BC who fought in the

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...

. His grandfather, Gnaeus Octavius Rufus was quaestor 230 BC.

Career

Ambassadorship in Greece

In the winter of 170 BC, Octavius and

Gaius Popillius Laenas Gaius Popillius Laenas ( 172–158 BC) twice served as one of the two consuls of the Roman Republic, in 172 and 158 BC. He was sent as an envoy to prevent a war between Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt. On being ...

served as ambassadors in Greece under

Aulus Hostilius Mancinus Aulus Hostilius Mancinus was consul of the Roman Republic, together with Aulus Atilius Serranus, in 170 BC. He had been an urban praetor in 180 BC. When he was consul he was given the command of the Third Macedonian War (171-168 BC) for that year. ...

, where they enforced a decree by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

asserting the Senate's control over Roman magistrates stationed in Greece. At

Aegium Aegium or Aigion ( grc, Αἴγιον), or Aegeium or Aigeion (Αἴγειον), was a town and polis (city-state) of ancient Achaea, and one of the twelve Achaean cities. It was situated upon the coast west of the river Selinus, 30 stadia from R ...

, the ambassadors spoke with the Achaeans, assuring that the Romans were on good terms with them. However, on entering

Aetolia Aetolia ( el, Αἰτωλία, Aἰtōlía) is a mountainous region of Greece on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, forming the eastern part of the modern regional units of Greece, regional unit of Aetolia-Acarnania. Geography The Achelous ...

, they were not as well-received and demanded hostages. Lastly, they then went to

Thyrium Thyrium or Thyrion ( grc, Θύριον), or Thyreum or Thyreon (Θύρεον), or Thurium or Thourion (Θούριον), or Thyrreium or Thyrreion (Θύρρειον),Anth. Gr. 9.553 was a city in ancient Acarnania. Cicero tells us that in sailing ...

Acarnania Acarnania ( el, Ἀκαρνανία) is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today i ...

without having settled the disputes in Aetolia. There, they heard from opposing groups of Acarnanians who were debating war with the Macedonians.

Campaign in Macedonia

Octavius served as praetor in 168 BC and was given control of the Roman fleet in the

Third Macedonian War The Third Macedonian War (171–168 BC) was a war fought between the Roman Republic and King Perseus of Macedon. In 179 BC, King Philip V of Macedon died and was succeeded by his ambitious son Perseus. He was anti-Roman and stirred anti-Roman f ...

. After the consul

Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus (c. 229 – 160 BC) was a two-time consul of the Roman Republic and a general who conquered Macedon, putting an end to the Antigonid dynasty in the Third Macedonian War. Family Paullus' father was Luci ...

defeated

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (Help:IPA/English, /ˈpɜːrsiəs, -sjuːs/; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus ...

Pydna Pydna (in Greek: Πύδνα, older transliteration: Pýdna) was a Greek city in ancient Macedon, the most important in Pieria. Modern Pydna is a small town and a former municipality in the northeastern part of Pieria regional unit, Greece. Sinc ...

, Octavius took the Roman fleet to

Samothrace Samothrace (also known as Samothraki, el, Σαμοθράκη, ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. It is a municipality within the Evros regional unit of Thrace. The island is long and is in size and has a population of 2,859 (2011 ...

in pursuit of Perseus. Perseus surrendered himself to Octavius and was brought to Macedonicus at

Amphipolis Amphipolis ( ell, Αμφίπολη, translit=Amfipoli; grc, Ἀμφίπολις, translit=Amphipolis) is a municipality in the Serres (regional unit), Serres regional unit, Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is ...

. The next year, 167, Octavius transported the spoils from the Macedonian War and received a

triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

. Using the spoils from war, Octavius built a house on the

Palatine Hill The Palatine Hill (; la, Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; it, Palatino ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." ...

, increasing his status in Rome and ultimately acting as a factor in his being elected consul alongside Titus Manlius Torquatus in 165 BC. It was at this time that Octavius also built the extravagant

, which was restored by

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

but was destroyed sometime before the time of

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

Ambassadorship in Syria

In 162 BC, Octavius was sent as an ambassador to Syria with two colleagues, Spurius Lucretius and Lucius Aurelius, with the purpose of enforcing the terms of peace agreed upon by

Antiochus III the Great Antiochus III the Great (; grc-gre, Ἀντίoχoς Μέγας ; c. 2413 July 187 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 222 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the re ...

amidst the chaos between those vying for the guardianship of the young king

Antiochus V Eupator Antiochus V Eupator (Greek: ''Αντίοχος Ε' Ευπάτωρ''), whose epithet means "of a good father" (c. 172 BC – 161 BC) was a ruler of the Greek Seleucid Empire who reigned from late 164 to 161 BC (based on dates from 1 Maccabees 6:1 ...

. It was during this assignment that Octavius was assassinated at the Gymnasium at Laodicea by the Syrian Leptines.Polybius, ''The Histories'' 31.18

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Octavius, Gnaeus Ancient Roman generals 2nd-century BC Roman consuls Octavii Rufi 162 BC deaths Year of birth unknown 2nd-century BC diplomats