Rufio (officer)
Rufio was an officer of the Roman general and statesman Gaius Iulius Caesar and was from this 47 BC. Appointed commander in chief of the three Roman legions stationed in Egypt .
Rufio was the son of a freedman and came in 48 BC. As a member of Caesar's army to Egypt. After Caesar entered the Ptolemaic controversy between the siblings Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII. intervened and him by his hard-won victory in the Alexandrian War over Ptolemy XIII. and whose supporters had decided in favor of Cleopatra (January 14, 47 BC according to the Julian calendar ), he stationed three legions in the Nile country to ensure his success . These troops, the 27th, 37th and 39th Legion, formed from former Gabiniani , served to support but also control the rule of Cleopatra, who had become Caesar's lover and now ruled as an allied queen. Contrary to tradition, Caesar did not appoint a senator as commander in chief of the Roman occupation army, but instead appointed his proven officer Rufio. The reason for this appointment practice was primarily that Caesar feared that an influential senator who remained as commander-in-chief could use the economically strong and strategically important Nilland as a basis for his own grasp of power, while Rufio would not have the necessary connections and insufficient social support Status (although it is unknown what rank Rufio had reached). Furthermore, Caesar seems to have considered his officer particularly trustworthy, since Suetonius calls Rufio Caesar's lover (exoletus) - but probably not in the sexual sense.
Otherwise there is no record of Rufio's life.
literature
- Michael Grant : Cleopatra . 1972, revised edition 1974, German translation Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1998, ISBN 3-404-61416-X , p. 113f .; 116f.
- Friedrich Münzer : Rufio 3). In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume IA, 1, Stuttgart 1914, column 1198.
- Christoph Schäfer : Cleopatra . Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2006, ISBN 3-534-15418-5 , pp. 80f. with note 105.
Remarks
- ↑ For the same reason, Caesar did not make Egypt a Roman province, but left Cleopatra as a client queen who was personally devoted to him and dependent on him.
- ↑ Suetonius, Caesar 76, 3; see. De bello Alexandrino 33, 3f.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rufio |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Roman officer Gaius Iulius Caesar |
| DATE OF BIRTH | before 48 BC Chr. |
| DATE OF DEATH | after 47 BC Chr. |