Aelius Gallus
Aelius Gallus (the praenomen is unknown) was a Roman prefect of Egypt who joined the Legio X Fretensis around 25/24 BC. Moved to Marib . The attempt to take the city by siege failed. The campaign was aimed at conquering the entire Arab region, above all in order to control the African trade and to open up other routes for the Indian trade . Due to the failed project, the area of Arabia Felix remained free from Roman rule.
The geographer Strabo , a friend of Aelius, describes the campaign several times in his description of the earth. Paul Yule states that two legions with a combined strength of 10,000 warriors were deployed, as well as 1,000 Nabataean camel riders and 500 archers. Flavius Josephus reports that Aelius was supported on his Arabia campaign by Herod the Great with 500 elite soldiers from his bodyguard. He will report in addition also from a boat expedition from Alexandria up the Nile through Heliopolis and Thebes (where the Colossi of Memnon sound heard and the Valley of the Kings visited) as far as Syene and the frontiers of Ethiopia. On this trip Aelius was not only accompanied by Strabo, but also by a number of friends and soldiers, including the Egyptian priest Chairemon , "who was mostly laughed at as a boastful and ignorant man".
The failed campaign of Aelius Gallus is also handed down in a short note to Cassius Dio . Without mentioning Gallus 'name and failure, he is also mentioned in Augustus' report of facts Res Gestae Divi Augusti .
During the unfortunate campaign of Aelius, the knight Publius Petronius seems to have successfully continued official business in Egypt. At the latest after the failure of the Arabia expedition, he will be in 25 BC. His successor as prefect of Egypt.
Through the campaign of Gallus, the existence of the Saba empire could be firmly dated.
Gallus adopt a son of the influential knight Lucius Seius Strabo , who later became Praetorian prefect Lucius Aelius Seianus .
literature
- Hermann von Wissmann : The history of the Sabaean empire and the campaign of Aelius Gallus . In: Hildegard Temporini (Hrsg.): Rise and decline of the Roman world. II. Principate. Ninth volume, first half volume . de Gruyter, Berlin, New York 1976, ISBN 3-11-006876-1 , pp. 308-544.
- Theodor Mommsen (Ed.): Res Gestae Divi Augusti. Ex monumentis Ancyrano et Apolloniensi. 2nd Edition. Weidmann, Berolini 1883.
- Paul von Rohden : Aelius 59 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 1, Stuttgart 1893, Col. 493.
- K. Buschmann: Motive and destination of the Aelius-Gallus train to South Arabia. In the world of the orient. No. 22, 1991, ISSN 0043-2547 , pp. 85-93.
- C. Marek: The expedition of Aelius Gallus to Arabia in the year 25 BC. Chr. In: Chiron. Communications from the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute. No. 23, 1993, ISSN 0069-3715 , pp. 121-156.
- Paul Yule : Himyar – Late Antique in Yemen / Late Antique Yemen. Linden Soft, Aichwald 2007, ISBN 3-929290-35-9 .
Remarks
- ↑ Strabo, Geographia II 5.12 (118); XVI 4.22-24 (780-782); XVII 1.53f. (819f.)
- ^ Paul Yule: Himyar – Spätantike im Yemen / Late Antique Yemen. Aichwald 2007, p. 166.
- ↑ Flavius Josephus, Jüdische Antiquities 15, 317.
- ↑ Strabo, Geographia II 5.12 (118); XVII 1.29 (806); XVII 1.46 (816)
- ↑ Cassius Dio , Römische Geschichte 53, 29, 3-8 .
- ^ Res Gestae Divi Augusti Part V, 26 on: penelope.uchicago.edu ; last accessed on June 24, 2016.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Gaius Cornelius Gallus |
Prefect of the Roman Province of Egypt 26/25 BC Chr. – 25/24 BC Chr. |
Publius Petronius |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Aelius Gallus |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gallus, Aelius |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Roman prefect of Egypt |
| DATE OF BIRTH | before 25 BC Chr. |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1st century BC BC or 1st century |