Oppius Statianus

Oppius Statianus († 36 BC ) was a Roman general who fell as a legate of the triumvir Marcus Antonius during his campaign against the Parthians .

Life

Oppius Statianus came from the gens Oppia . Nothing is known about his early life. He is only 36 BC. On the occasion of his participation in the Parthian War of Marcus Antonius. The triumvir first went with his army through Armenia, whose king Artavasdes had promised to support him. Then he advanced with the main part of his armed forces in forced marches in a south-easterly direction inland from Media Atropatene to the well-fortified capital Phraaspa , which he began to besiege. Under the protection of two legions, Oppius Statianus led the siege engines, which could be dismantled into 300 wagons, including a 24 m long ram , and the luggage more slowly. Statianus chose the Araxes river valley as his route . The Median king, who was also called Artavasdes , had gone with his core troops to his ally, the Parthian king Phraates IV , in northwestern Mesopotamia before the start of the war , as he had expected the main thrust of the Roman general here. Now the Mederkönig and the Parthian general Monaeses moved quickly with their troops to Media Atropatene and attacked the train followed by Statianus before they could reach Antonius. Despite strong resistance, Statianus was killed with 10,000 men, while the Armenian king abandoned him and fled with his army. King Polemon I of Pontus , who had commanded the train together with Statianus, was taken prisoner by the Parthians. When Antonius arrived on the scene of the Roman defeat, he found only numerous dead soldiers and his completely destroyed siege equipment, without whose help he could not storm Phraaspa.

literature

Michael Grant : Cleopatra. A biography . Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1998, ISBN 3-404-61416-X (German first 1977), p. 207
Helmut Halfmann : Marcus Antonius . Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2011, ISBN 978-3-534-21727-4 , p. 156 f.
Friedrich Münzer : Oppius 34. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume XVIII, 1, Stuttgart 1939, Col. 747.
Christoph Schäfer : Cleopatra . Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2006, ISBN 3-534-15418-5 , p. 164

Remarks

↑ The name Oppius Statianus is attested only by one passage in the history of Cassius Dio ( Roman History 49, 25, 2); otherwise he is just called a Statianus .
↑ Plutarch , Antonius 38, 2-6; Cassius Dio, Roman History 49, 25, 2-26, 1; Velleius Paterculus , Historia Romana 2, 82, 2; on this Michael Grant, Cleopatra , p. 207; Helmut Halfmann, Marcus Antonius , p. 156 f .; Christoph Schäfer, Cleopatra , p. 164.

personal data
SURNAME	Oppius Statianus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Statianus, Oppius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Roman general
DATE OF BIRTH	1st century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	36 BC Chr.

[1] The name Oppius Statianus is attested only by one passage in the history of Cassius Dio ( Roman History 49, 25, 2); otherwise he is just called a Statianus .

[2] Plutarch , Antonius 38, 2-6; Cassius Dio, Roman History 49, 25, 2-26, 1; Velleius Paterculus , Historia Romana 2, 82, 2; on this Michael Grant, Cleopatra , p. 207; Helmut Halfmann, Marcus Antonius , p. 156 f .; Christoph Schäfer, Cleopatra , p. 164.