Gaius Vettius Cossinius Rufinus ( fl. 306316) was a politician and senator of the late Roman Empire. In 306 he was made

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

of Achaea, 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 The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest List of rivers of Italy, river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where ...

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 name ...

honoured Rufinus despite his having been a supporter of his rival Maxentius and made him

comes ''Comes'' ( ), plural ''comites'' ( ), was a Roman title or office, and the origin Latin form of the medieval and modern title "count". Before becoming a word for various types of title or office, the word originally meant "companion", either i ...

Augusti nostri (i.e., to Constantine's colleague in the east,

Licinius Valerius Licinianus Licinius (c. 265 – 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324. For most of his reign he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan, AD 313, that granted official toleration to C ...

). Three senators were elected

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, and ...

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