Marcus Julius Gessius BassianusPrado, ''The Emperor Elagabalus: Fact or Fiction?'', p. xxiii (flourished 3rd century) was a ''Magister'' (master) in the

Arval Brethren In ancient Roman religion, the Arval Brethren ( la, Fratres Arvales, "Brothers of the Fields") or Arval Brothers were a body of priests who offered annual sacrifices to the Lares and gods to guarantee good harvests. Inscriptions provide eviden ...

during the reign of Roman emperor

Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor S ...

who ruled from 212 until 217. Bassianus seems to be linked to the ''Julii'' and the ''Bassiani''. From his name, could point to him as a possible son of the

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

Roman nobles Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus and

Julia Avita Mamaea Julia Avita Mamaea or Julia Mamaea (14 or 29 August around 182 – 235) was a Syrian noble woman and member of the Severan dynasty. She was the mother of Roman emperor Alexander Severus and remained one of his chief advisors throughout his ...

, being a possible brother of Roman emperor

Alexander Severus Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 – 21/22 March 235) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 222 until 235. He was the last emperor from the Severan dynasty. He succeeded his slain cousin Elagabalus in 222. Alexander himself was ...

Birley, ''Septimius Severus: The African Emperor'', p. 222 and his sister, Theoclia. If this is correct, Bassianus was a relation to the

Royal family of Emesa The Emesene (or Emesan) dynasty, also called the Sampsigeramids or the Sampsigerami or the House of Sampsigeramus ( ar, آل شمسيغرام, translit=ʾĀl Šamsīġirām), were a Roman client dynasty of Arab priest-kings known to have ruled by ...

and the

Severan dynasty The Severan dynasty was a Ancient Rome, Roman imperial dynasty that ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235, during the Roman imperial period (chronology), Roman imperial period. The dynasty was founded by the emperor Septimius Severus (), w ...

of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

. Bassianus was not a known Priest of the cult of

Elagabalus Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus, 204 – 11/12 March 222), better known by his nickname "Elagabalus" (, ), was Roman emperor from 218 to 222, while he was still a teenager. His short reign was conspicuous for s ...

.Prado, ''The Emperor Elagabalus: Fact or Fiction?'', p. 215 Although he was a Roman Priest, was unable to attend the ceremonies of the Arval Brethren in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, probably due to Bassianus being based in the East.

References

Sources

Augustan History The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, designated heirs and usurpers from 117 to 284. Supposedly modeled on the sim ...

, "The Two Maximini" *A.R. Birley, ''Septimius Severus: The African Emperor'', Routledge, 2002 *L. de Arrizabalaga y Prado, ''The Emperor Elagabalus: Fact or Fiction?'', Cambridge University Press, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Julius Gessius Bassianus, Marcus 3rd-century Romans Priests of the Roman Empire Emesene dynasty Julii Gessii 3rd-century clergy 3rd-century people