Died 216 AD, Cyprus | Great grandchild Severus Alexander | |
Children Julia Avita Mamaea, Julia Soaemias Grandchildren Elagabalus, Severus Alexander Similar Elagabalus, Severus Alexander, Julia Avita Mamaea, Julia Soaemias, Julia Maesa | ||
Julius Avitus also known by his full name Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus (died 217) was a Syrian nobleman who had an impressive Roman military and political career.
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Background and career
Although Alexianus was a Roman citizen who was born and raised in Emesa (modern Homs, Syria), little is known on his origins. It has been assumed that Alexianus was born in c. 155. What is known about him is from surviving inscriptional and Roman historical evidence. Through marriage he was a relation to the Royal family of Emesa and the ruling Severan dynasty of the Roman Empire.
He was an Equestrian officer serving as a Prefect and Tribune in the Roman military. Alexianus after served as a Procurator of the food supply in Rome, being stationed in Ostia.
Later he was promoted to the Roman Senate by the Roman emperor Lucius Septimius Severus. Having entered the Senate with the rank of Praetor in 194, Alexianus was made Legatus in the Legio IV Flavia Felix and later served as Proconsul of Raetia which may be dated to 196/197. During his proconsulship of Raetia, he dedicated an altar to the Emesene God Elagabalus. The altar and its inscription still intact, mentions him as a priest of the deified Roman emperor Titus.
Alexianus served as a Roman consul in 200, even perhaps as early as 198 or 199. After his consulship, Alexianus didn’t served in a Roman military nor political position, probably due to Septimius Severus’ hostilities from the Praetorian prefect Gaius Fulvius Plautianus. After the death of Plautianus in 205, Alexianus took part in Septimius Severus’ expedition in Britain where he acted as a Comes (Companion) to the emperor from 208 until 211.
Under Septimius Severus’ successor Caracalla, for two years Alexianus served as a Prefect of the Italian orphanages. He served as a Legatus in Dalmatia in c. 214 and later as a Proconsul in Asia and in Mesopotamia. In 216–217, Alexianus became a Comes to Caracalla on his campaign against the Sassanid Empire. He died from old age on his way to Cyprus, sent there by Caracalla in early 217 to act as an advisor to the Governor.
Marriage and issue
Alexianus married the Syrian noblewoman Julia Maesa the first daughter of Gaius Julius Bassianus, a High Priest of the Temple of the Sun. The temple was dedicated to the Syrian Aramaic Sun God El-Gebal (counterpart to the Phoenician Baal) in Emesa. The younger sister of Maesa was the Roman empress Julia Domna wife of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus who was the mother of the Roman emperors Caracalla and Publius Septimius Geta.
Maesa bore two distinguished daughters to Avitus who were born and raised in Syria:
Among his grandchildren were the Roman emperors Elagabalus (born as Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus) and Alexander Severus (born as Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus Alexianus).