Domitianus (Praetorian Prefect)

Domitianus († 354 in Antioch ) was a high official of late Roman antiquity .

Domitianus, the son of a craftsman, rose to high dignity under Emperor Constantius II (337–361). First he became a senator and notarius of the emperor, later comes sacrarum largitionum under Constantius. This office was responsible for the administration of the imperial finances. When Thalassius died in 353 , Domitianus became praefectus praetorio Orientis in his place . The Praetorian prefect was responsible for the entire administration within one part of the empire - in the case of Domitianus this was the eastern part of the empire. He was sent to Antioch on the Orontes , where the then Eastern Emperor Constantius Gallus resided as under Emperor ( Caesar ) Constantius II.

Constantius Gallus had already incurred the wrath of Constantius II in the past because he acted too arbitrarily. Even the predecessor of Domitianus, Thalassius, had often come into conflict with the stubborn Caesar. Domitianus had now been sent to Antioch with the task of luring Gallus to the court of Constantius, where he could no longer cause any damage. In doing so, Domitianus was extremely clumsy. At first he did not introduce himself to Caesar when he came to Antioch. When he finally condescended to allow himself to be received by Gallus, he denounced him even more, as the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus reports:

“Without further ado, he said carelessly and carelessly: 'Leave, Caesar, as you have been commanded. If you hesitate, I will immediately stop the income for you and your court. ' After this harsh utterance, he went away full of anger and later did not show himself to Caesar again, although the latter summoned him more often. "

- Ammianus Marcellinus : 14,7,11

The exact course of the following events is controversial. It seems certain, however, that Gallus was so angry about this treatment that he incited his soldiers against Domitianus and his subordinate Montius Magnus . A gruesome lynching of the two officers followed; at last their corpses were thrown into the Orontes . The murder of the imperial official contributed to the fact that Constantius II finally broke patience: He called Gallus to his court and had him executed on the way there. Later the Bishop of Antioch arranged for Domitianus to be buried. His daughter was married to an Apollinaris who also served under Gallus.

literature

Arnold Hugh Martin Jones , John Robert Martindale, John Morris : Domitianus 3. In: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE). Volume 1, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1971, ISBN 0-521-07233-6 , p. 262.
Otto Seeck : Domitianus 6) . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume V, 1, Stuttgart 1903, column 1312.

Remarks

↑ Quoted from Ammianus Marcellinus: Roman History. Latin and German and with a commentary by Wolfgang Seyfarth . Volume 1, Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1968, p. 83.
↑ See the explanations in the article Montius Magnus .
↑ On Apollinaris: Ammian 14: 7, 19; Otto Seeck: Apollinaris 5 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 2, Stuttgart 1894, Col. 2844 f.

personal data
SURNAME	Domitianus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Roman Praetorian prefect
DATE OF BIRTH	3rd century or 4th century
DATE OF DEATH	354
Place of death	Antioch on the Orontes

[1] Quoted from Ammianus Marcellinus: Roman History. Latin and German and with a commentary by Wolfgang Seyfarth . Volume 1, Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1968, p. 83.

[2] See the explanations in the article Montius Magnus .

[3] On Apollinaris: Ammian 14: 7, 19; Otto Seeck: Apollinaris 5 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 2, Stuttgart 1894, Col. 2844 f.