Sextus Varius Marcellus (c. 165 – c. 215Sextus Varius Marcellus’ article at Livius.org
/ref>) was a Roman aristocrat and politician from the province of Syria.

Family and career

Little is known about the origins of Marcellus, other than he was born and raised in the city of

Apamea Apamea or Apameia ( grc, Απάμεια) is the name of several Hellenistic cities in western Asia, after Apama, the Sogdian wife of Seleucus I Nicator, several of which are also former bishoprics and Catholic titular see. Places called Apamea in ...

in Syria. Marcellus was a Roman citizen from the

Equestrian order The ''equites'' (; literally "horse-" or "cavalrymen", though sometimes referred to as "knights" in English) constituted the second of the property-based classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the senatorial class. A member of the equestrian ...

.Bunson, ''Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire'', p. 346 Marcellus had a long and distinguished political career. He was present at the

Secular Games The Saecular Games ( la, Ludi saeculares, originally ) was a Roman religious celebration involving sacrifices and theatrical performances, held in ancient Rome for three days and nights to mark the end of a and the beginning of the next. A , sup ...

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 ...

in 204. From 200 to 205, like Gaius

Julius Avitus Gaius Julius Avitus AlexianusHazel, ''Who's who in the Roman World'', p. 34 (died 217) was a Syrian nobleman who had an impressive Roman military and political career. Background and career Although Alexianus was a Roman citizen who was born and ...

Alexianus,Birley, ''Septimius Severus: The African Emperor'', p. 223 Marcellus did not serve in a significant Roman military or political position, probably due to Roman emperor Lucius

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 ...

views about him being influenced by the Praetorian prefect

Gaius Fulvius Plautianus Gaius or Lucius Fulvius Plautianus (c. 150 – 22 January 205) was a member of the Roman ''gens'' Fulvia. Like Sejanus, Perennis and Cleander, as head of the Praetorian Guard, he was formally extraordinarily powerful and influential in the adm ...

. When Plautianus was killed in 205, Marcellus' career was able to move ahead. From 205 to about 207, Marcellus was a

Procurator Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to: * Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency * ''Procurator'' (Ancient Rome), the title o ...

for the Roman aqueducts in Rome, a position usually given to Romans of

Senatorial 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 e ...

rank, not from the Equestrian class. Marcellus was paid about 100,000 sesterces per year. Marcellus proved his worth and capabilities in his position to Emperor Severus and his family. In 208 the emperor promoted him to Procurator 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 ...

and in this position he was responsible for gathering taxes for Rome. He earned 200,000 sesterces in this role. Later he was promoted by the emperor to managing the finances of Roman Britain earning 300,000 sesterces. In 211 after the death of Lucius Septimius Severus, his sons

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 ...

and

Publius Septimius Geta Publius Septimius Geta ( ; 7 March 189 – 19/26 December 211) was Roman emperor with his father Septimius Severus and older brother Caracalla from 209, when he was named ''Augustus'' like his brother, who had held the title from 198. Severus d ...

succeeded their father on the Roman throne. Caracalla recalled Marcellus from Roman Britain to Rome and briefly placed him in the roles of

Praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, an ...

and Praetorian prefect. He was later admitted into the Senate and, soon after, became ''

praefectus ''Praefectus'', often with a further qualification, was the formal title of many, fairly low to high-ranking, military or civil officials in the Roman Empire, whose authority was not embodied in their person (as it was with elected Magistrates) but ...

'' of the military treasury. He later became

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Numidia and held this post until his death.

Marriage and children

Marcellus married the Syrian Roman noblewoman

Julia Soaemias Julia Soaemias Bassiana (180 – 11 March 222) was a Syrian noblewoman and the mother of Roman emperor Elagabalus, who ruled over the Roman Empire from 218 to 222. She was one of his chief advisors, initially with the support and accompaniment ...

Bassiana who was the first daughter of the powerful Syrian nobles

Julia Maesa Julia Maesa (7 May before 160 AD – AD) was a member of the Severan dynasty of the Roman Empire who was the grandmother of emperors Elagabalus and Severus Alexander, elder sister of empress Julia Domna, and mother of Julia Soaemias and Julia ...

and Gaius

Alexianus. The maternal aunt of Soaemias was the Roman empress

Julia Domna Julia Domna (; – 217 AD) was Roman empress from 193 to 211 as the wife of Emperor Septimius Severus. She was the first empress of the Severan dynasty. Domna was born in Emesa (present-day Homs) in Roman Syria to an Arab family of priests ...

; her maternal uncle-in-marriage was the Roman emperor Lucius

; her maternal cousins were the Roman emperors

and

and she was the maternal aunt of the 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 ...

. Through marriage, Marcellus was related both to the

Severan dynasty The Severan dynasty was a Roman imperial dynasty that ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235, during the Roman imperial period. The dynasty was founded by the emperor Septimius Severus (), who rose to power after the Year of the Five Empero ...

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 Mediter ...

and 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 Empire, Roman client dynasty of Arabs, Arab priest-kings k ...

, Syria. Their marriage may have taken place in 192 or 194, or even perhaps around 200. Marcellus and Soaemias’ marriage may have been arranged to strengthen Lucius Septimius Severus’ position in the Roman East. Soaemias and Marcellus bore the following children who were born and raised in Rome: * An unnamed child, who was their first son and child. The first son was named after the unnamed father of Marcellus * Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus, who became the Severan Roman emperor

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 ...

from 218 until 222.

Epigraphic evidence

Inscriptional evidence has survived on Marcellus. After his death in c. 215, his wife

Bassiana and their two sons, dedicated to him a tombstone which was found in

Velletri Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring comm ...

, not far from Rome. The tombstone has two preserved bilingual inscriptions in Latin and

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, which were first published at Rome in 1765. The inscriptions reveal his political career, his various titles, designations and distinctions he received. The tombstone of Marcellus is known to scholars as which can be found in the Octagonal Court in the

Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...

and reads: :To Sextus Varius Marcellus :procurator centenarius of the water supply, procurator ducenarius of Britain, procurator :trecenarius of the private purse, acting as praetorian prefect and praefectus urbi, :senator, prefect of the military treasury, commander of the Third legion Augusta, :governor of Numidia, :has Julia Soaemias Bassiana, daughter of Gaius, with her sons, : edicated thisto her husband and dearest father. Marcellus was known in dedicating an inscription to Bel in Vasio (Vaison) in

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

.Boiy, ''Late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Babylon'', p. 307 The bilingual inscription which is in Greek and Latin on an altar, dedicated by him is honoring Bel in remembrance of the oracles given to him in Apamea.

Posthumous honor

The Baths of Varius (''Thermae Varianae'') in Rome were named in honor of Marcellus and his second son. Their namesake baths were bestowed upon the place, by the

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 ...

.Sextus Varius Marcellus’ article at ancient library
/ref>

Severan dynasty family tree

References

Sources

* F. Millar, ''The Roman Near East: 31 BC-AD 337'', Harvard University Press, 1993 * J. Hazel, ''Who's Who in the Roman World'', Psychology Press, 2002 * A.R. Birley, ''Septimius Severus: The African Emperor'', Routledge, 2002 * T. Bioy, ''Late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Babylon'', Peeters Publishers, 2004 * B. Levick, ''Julia Domna: Syrian Empress'', Routledge, 2007 * M. Bunsen, ''Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire'', Infobase Printing, 2009 * L. de Arrizabalaga y Prado, ''The Emperor Elagabalus: Fact or Fiction?'', Cambridge University Press, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Varius Marcellus, Sextus 2nd-century Romans 3rd-century Romans 160s births 210s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain Ancient Roman equites Ancient Romans in Britain Emesene dynasty People of Roman Syria Senators of the Roman Empire Marcellus, Sextus