Caerellius Priscus is the name given to the man on an inscription recovered at Mogontiacum (

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

), set up by a governor of Germania Superior who was afterwards governor of

Roman Britain Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered wa ...

in the late 170s. The name of his son in the inscription implies that his ''

gentilicium The (or simply ) was a hereditary name borne by the peoples of Roman Italy and later by the citizens of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It was originally the name of one's (family or clan) by patrilineal descent. However, as Rome expand ...

'' was " Caerellius", which is how Anthony Birley refers to him.

Edmund Groag Edmund Groag (2 February 1873, in Prerau – 19 August 1945, in Vienna) was an Austrian classical scholar, who specialized in Roman history. From 1892 he studied history and philology at the University of Vienna, receiving his doctorate in 18 ...

suggested the dedicant might be Asellius Aemilianus proconsul of 192–193, but Birley disagrees. Birley also admits "Caerellius" might be identical with Gaius Caerellius Sabinus, legate of

Legio XIII Gemina , in English the 13th Twin Legion was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was one of Julius Caesar's key units in Gaul and in the civil war, and was the legion with which he crossed the Rubicon in January, perhaps the 10th, 49 BC. The legi ...

and afterwards governor of

Raetia Raetia ( ; ; also spelled Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west ...

, but finds several objections to this, most notably that Sabinus' wife was Fufidia Pollitta and the wife of the man in this inscription was named Modestiana.Birley, ''Fasti'', pp. 134 Birley concludes by stating the "most likely" identification of "Caerellius" is with Caerellius Priscus, ''praetor tutelaris'' under

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...

and Lucius Verus, between the years 161 through 169. This is the same identification that Géza Alföldy makes.Alföldy, ''Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter den Antoninen'' (Bonn: Habelt Verlag, 1977), pp. 186f

Career

The Mainz inscription lists the provinces Caerellius was governor of in a problematic order:

Thracia Thracia or Thrace ( ''Thrakē'') is the ancient name given to the southeastern Balkan region, the land inhabited by the Thracians. Thrace was ruled by the Odrysian kingdom during the Classical and Hellenistic eras, and briefly by the Greek D ...

, Moesia Superior,

, Germania Superior then Britain. According to Birley, Raetia, typically a province governed by an ex-praetor, is out of place "between two consular provinces". Although Birley argues that Moesia Superior might have been downgraded to praetorian status, it is possible these provinces were not listed in chronological order. Alföldy, following Birley, provides the following dates for Caerellius' governorships: Thracia c. 167 - c. 170, Moesia Superior c. 170 - c. 172, suffect consul around 172, Germania Superior c. 174 - c. 177, and likely governor of Roman Britain c. 177–180. Dio Cassius notes that at the beginning of Commodus' sole rule, "tribes" crossed the Antonine Wall and defeated a general (στρατηγόν) and his soldiers in Britain. Birley admits there is some disagreement whether by "general" Dio means a legionary

legate Legate may refer to: *Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

or provincial governor, but argues that Dio consistently uses that word to indicate a governor. Although it would appear the governor slain was Caerellius, Birley argues that "he was one of the low-quality governors appointed by Commodus soon after his ascension, rather than ... an experienced commander such as 'Caerellius'." In response to this disaster, the Praetorian prefect

Tigidius Perennis Sextus Tigidius Perennis (died 185) served as Praetorian Prefect under the Roman emperor Commodus. Perennis exercised an outsized influence over Commodus and was the effective ruler of the Roman Empire. In 185, Perennis was implicated in a plot ...

immediately sent

Ulpius Marcellus Ulpius Marcellus was a Roman consular governor of Britannia who returned there as general of the later 2nd century. Ulpius Marcellus is recorded as governor of Roman Britain in an inscription of 176–80, and apparently returned to Rome after a te ...

to replace him, who proceeded to ruthlessly crush the rebellion.Dio Cassius, 72.8.2-6 If Caerellius was not the governor killed in battle, he nevertheless vanishes from history after concluding his term as governor of Britain.

Family

The Mainz inscription attests Caerellius had a wife, Modestiana, a daughter, Germanilla, and a son, Marcianus. Birley suggests Marcianus may be identified with a C(a)erellius Macrinus the '' Historia Augusta'' (Severus 13.6) listed as executed by order of the Emperor

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...

, presumably because he had supported his rival

Clodius Albinus Decimus Clodius Albinus ( 150 – 19 February 197) was a Roman imperial pretender between 193 and 197. He was proclaimed emperor by the legions in Britain and Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, comprising modern Spain and Portugal) after the murder ...

. Birley also admits Caerellius was likely a kinsman to the above-mentioned Sabinus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caerellius Priscus 2nd-century Romans Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Thracia Roman governors of Upper Moesia Roman governors of Raetia Roman governors of Germania Superior Roman governors of Britain Caerellii

Career

Family

See also

References