Publius Valerius Comazon
Publius Valerius Comazon († after 222) was a Roman Praetorian prefect .
Comazon was originally a mime artist and dancer. This is what his Cognomen Comazon should refer to. Under Emperor Commodus he served as a soldier in the province of Thrace . There he was transferred to the fleet by the provincial governor Tiberius Claudius Attalus Paterculianus for an offense. But later he was able to make a military career. In 218, as prefect of the legion, he commanded the Legio II Parthica , which was then temporarily stationed in Apamea in Syria .
At that time, Emperor Macrinus ruled , who organized the assassination of his predecessor Caracalla in 217 and thus disempowered the Severan dynasty for the time being. Macrinus was unpopular in the army, and Julia Maesa , Aunt Caracallas from Syria, agitated against him. At that time she lived in her hometown Emesa and tried to get her grandson Elagabal to become emperor from there . First of all, in May 218, their partisans were able to persuade the Legio III Gallica stationed nearby to revolt; Elagabal, only fourteen years old, was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers. The Legion, commanded by Comazon, later joined the uprising. The change of front of Comazon and his troops was one of the main factors for the success of the uprising. Soon after, Macrinus was defeated in June 218, after which Elagabal was able to take power in the Roman Empire.
Comazon's key role in the uprising of Elagabal enabled him to climb steeply. Although he had never been a procurator, the young emperor appointed him Praetorian prefect and awarded him the ornamenta consularia (insignia of consular rank ) on an honorary basis . Now Comazon was able to take revenge on Claudius Attalus for the punishment he had once suffered by persuading the emperor to have the former governor of Thrace executed.
Comazon was inducted into the Senate. In 220 he was an ordinary consul with Elagabal . He was repeatedly given the highly respected office of city prefect .
When the widely hated Elagabal was overthrown and murdered by the supporters of his cousin Severus Alexander in March 222 , the anger of his opponents also exploded against well-known representatives of the old regime. Comazon survived the overthrow unharmed and was even able to take over the office of city prefect again under the new emperor Severus Alexander. From this it can be concluded that he again switched to the camp of the future winner in time. Nothing is known about his further fate.
The historian Cassius Dio , who loathed Elagabal and its surroundings, emphasized that Comazon had no qualifications for the offices he was attaining.
literature
- Brian Dobson: The primipilares. Development and importance, careers and personalities of a Roman officer rank . Habelt, Bonn 1978, ISBN 3-7927-0251-7 , p. 292f.
- Paul MM Leunissen: Consuls and Consulars in the Period from Commodus to Severus Alexander (180–235 AD) . Gieben, Amsterdam 1989, ISBN 90-5063-028-6 , p. 310f.
- Hans-Georg Pflaum : Les carrières procuratoriennes équestres sous le Haut-Empire romain . Volume 2, Paul Geuthner, Paris 1960, OCLC 769010831 , pp. 752-756.
Remarks
- ↑ Cassius Dio 80 (79), 4.1.
- ↑ Cassius Dio 80 (79), 3.5.
- ^ Martijn Icks: The crimes of Elagabalus. London 2011, p. 13.
- ↑ Cassius Dio 80 (79), 3, 4f.
- ^ Cassius Dio 80 (79), 4.2.
- ^ Martijn Icks: The crimes of Elagabalus. London 2011, p. 40.
- ↑ Cassius Dio 80 (79), 4.1f.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Valerius Comazon, Publius |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Comazon, Publius Valerius |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Roman Praetorian prefect |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 2nd century |
| DATE OF DEATH | after 222 |