Sextus Varius Marcellus facts for kids

Sextus Varius Marcellus (born around 165 AD, died around 215 AD) was an important Roman politician. He came from the Roman province of Syria. He is most famous for being the father of the Roman emperor Elagabalus.

Life and Career

Sextus Varius Marcellus was born and grew up in the city of Apamea in Syria. He was a Roman citizen and belonged to the Equestrian order. This was a group of wealthy Romans who were not part of the highest noble families.

Marcellus had a long and successful career in Roman politics. He was in Rome for the Secular Games in 204 AD. For a few years, from 200 to 205, he didn't hold a very big job. This was probably because the Roman emperor Septimius Severus was influenced by a powerful official named Gaius Fulvius Plautianus.

After Plautianus died in 205 AD, Marcellus's career really took off. From 205 to about 207, he worked as a Procurator for Rome's aqueducts. A procurator was like a manager or a financial officer. This job was usually given to Romans from the higher Senatorial class, not the Equestrian class. Marcellus earned about 100,000 sesterces a year. A sesterce was a type of Roman coin.

Marcellus proved he was very good at his job. In 208 AD, Emperor Severus promoted him to Procurator of Roman Britain. In this role, he was in charge of collecting taxes for Rome. He earned 200,000 sesterces in this position. Later, he was promoted again to manage all the money for Roman Britain, earning 300,000 sesterces.

In 211 AD, Emperor Septimius Severus died. His sons, Caracalla and Publius Septimius Geta, became the new emperors. Caracalla called Marcellus back to Rome from Britain. For a short time, Marcellus held very important jobs. He was a Praefectus urbi, which was like the mayor of Rome. He was also a Praetorian prefect, a top military commander.

After this, Marcellus was allowed to join the Roman Senate. Soon after, he became the prefect, or head, of the military treasury. This meant he managed the army's money. His last job was being the governor of Numidia, a Roman province in North Africa. He held this job until he died.

Family and Marriage

Marcellus married a noblewoman from Syria named Julia Soaemias Bassiana. She was the daughter of two powerful Syrian nobles, Julia Maesa and Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus.

Julia Soaemias had very important family connections. Her aunt was the Roman empress Julia Domna. Her uncle by marriage was Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus. Her cousins were the emperors Caracalla and Publius Septimius Geta. She was also the aunt of the future emperor Alexander Severus.

Because of his marriage, Marcellus became related to the powerful Severan dynasty of the Roman Empire. He was also connected to the royal family of Emesa in Syria. Their marriage might have happened around 192, 194, or even 200 AD. It's possible their marriage was arranged to help Emperor Septimius Severus strengthen his power in the eastern part of the Roman Empire.

Marcellus and Julia Soaemias had two sons who were born and grew up in Rome:

• Their first son, whose name is not fully known. He was named after Marcellus's own father.
• Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus, who later became the Roman emperor Elagabalus from 218 to 222 AD.

Historical Records

We know about Marcellus from old inscriptions. After he died around 215 AD, his wife Julia Soaemias Bassiana and their two sons set up a tombstone for him. This tombstone was found in Velletri, a town not far from Rome.

The tombstone has two inscriptions, one in Latin and one in Greek. They were first published in Rome in 1765. These inscriptions tell us about his political career, his different titles, and the honors he received. This tombstone is known to scholars as CIL X, 6569 and can be seen in the Octagonal Court in the Vatican Museums.

The inscription says:

To Sextus Varius Marcellus

manager of the water supply, manager of Britain, manager of the private purse, acting as top military commander and mayor of Rome,

senator, head of the military treasury, commander of the Third legion Augusta,

governor of Numidia,

Julia Soaemias Bassiana, daughter of Gaius, with her sons,

[dedicated this] to her husband and dearest father.

Marcellus also dedicated an inscription to a god named Bel in Vasio (Vaison) in Gaul. This inscription, also in Greek and Latin, was on an altar. It honored Bel to remember the prophecies he received in Apamea.

Honors After Death

The Baths of Varius (Thermae Varianae) in Rome were named in honor of Marcellus and his second son. The Circus Varianus, a large stadium for chariot races, was also named after his family.

Severan dynasty family tree

Sources

• F. Millar, The Roman Near East: 31 BC-AD 337, Harvard University Press, 1993
• J. Hazel, Who's Who in the Roman World, Psychology Press, 2002
• A.R. Birley, Septimius Severus: The African Emperor, Routledge, 2002
• T. Bioy, Late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Babylon, Peeters Publishers, 2004
• B. Levick, Julia Domna: Syrian Empress, Routledge, 2007
• M. Bunsen, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, Infobase Printing, 2009
• L. de Arrizabalaga y Prado, The Emperor Elagabalus: Fact or Fiction?, Cambridge University Press, 2010