(1) Hinc imperiī Rōmānī administrātiōnem Septimius Sevērus accēpit, oriundus ex Āfricā prōvinciā Tripolitānā, oppidō Leptī. Sōlus omnī memoriā et ante et posteā ex Āfricā imperātōr fuit.
(2) Hic prīmum fiscī advocātus, mox mīlitāris tribūnus, per multa deinde et varia officia atque honōrēs ūsque ad administrātiōnem tōtīus reī pūblicae vēnit.
(3) Pertinācem sē appellārī voluit in honōrem eius Pertinācis, quī ā Iūliānō fuerat occīsus. Parcus admodum fuit, nātūrā saevus.
(4) Bella multa et fēlīciter gessit. Pescennium Nigrum, quī in Aegyptō et Syriā rebellāverat, apud Cȳzicum interfēcit. Parthōs vīcit et Arabās interiōrēs et Adiabēnōs. Arabās eō ūsque superāvit, ut etiam prōvinciam ibi faceret. Idcircō Parthicus, Arabicus, Adiabēnicus dictus est. Multa tōtō orbe Rōmānō reparāvit. Sub eō etiam Clōdius Albīnus, quī in occidendō Pertināce socius fuerat Iūliānō, Caesarem sē in Galliā fēcit, victusque apud Lugdūnum est interfectus.
notes
Septimius Severus Emperor, 193–211 CE
Dio Cassius, Histories Book 75. Historia Augusta, Life of Septimius Severus.
(1) Septimius Sevērus: Lucius Septimius Severus ascended to the throne after the assassination of Didius Julianus. He was the first emperor to come from Africa. Severus' extensive military background led to his realization that it was important to keep the military amiable to the emperor, and he spent his reign making sure that the troops were adequately paid. He married the Syrian noblewoman Julia Domna and had two sons with her, the future emperors Caracalla and Geta. During a campaign against the Caledonians in Britain, he died at Eboracum (modern-day York) in 211 CE, leaving his sons as his successors.
oppidō Leptī: Leptis Magna (modern Khoms, Libya)
omnī memoriā: "in all time" (Hazzard)
(2) fiscī advocātus: a Roman officer appointed to look after the interests of the imperial treasury (Hazzard); however, other sources make both this position and the following military tribune unlikely (Bird).
(3) in honōrem eius Pertinācis: according to the Historia Augusta, Severus was "generally considered the avenger of Pertinax" (Sev. 5.3).
quī ā Iūliānō fuerat occīsus: as noted in Brev. 8.16, probably not accurate (Bird)
(4) Pescennium Nigrum: C. Pescennius Niger was hardly a rebel. He had been governor of Syria since 191 CE, and was acclaimed emperor by his troops in Syria in April 193 CE. Initially supported by L. Mantennius Sabinus, governor of Egypt, he was abandoned by him the following year. Byzantium went over to him and he remained popular at Rome. He was defeated at Perinthus, Cyzicus and Nicaea and finally routed at Issus, probably in late April or May 194 CE. While fleeing to the Parthians he was captured and killed near Antioch soon afterwards (Dio Epit. 75.8.3) (Bird).
Parthōs vīcit et Arabās interiōrēs et Adiabēnōs: in 197 CE Severus attacked Parthia for its support of Niger and captured its capital Ctesiphon at the end of January 198 CE. He failed to capture Hatra and hostilities probably continued into the following year, but he did carve a province out of the territory of the Skenite Arabs with Nisibis as its capital and defeated the Adiabeni whose territory lay east of the Tigris, thus earning the titles given by Eutropius (Dio Epit. 76.1.2–2.4, 76.9.1–12.5; H.A. Sev. 9.9, 18.1) (Bird).
Arabās eō ūsque superāvit, ut: ut signals a result clause (AG 537)
Sub eō: "under this (emperor)," i.e., during his reign
Clōdius Albīnus: Decimus Clodius Albinus was governor of Britain in 193 CE and also a candidate for the throne. Shrewdly placated by Severus with the title of Caesar until Niger's death and granted the consulship with Severus in 194 CE, attempts were made to assassinate him in 195 CE and he was declared a public enemy. Albinus seized western and central Gaul with his base at Lyons (Lugdunum). After an initial defeat at Tinurtium, sixty miles north of Lyons, he was driven back to his base near which the decisive battle took place on February 19, 197 CE. Albinus' troops fought well but were eventually defeated, Albinus was killed and Lyons was sacked (Dio Epit. 74.15.2, 76.4.1, 76.6.8; H.A. Sev. 6.9, 10.1, 12.6; H.A. Clod. Alb. 7.1, 8.1–12.22) (Bird).
in occidendō Pertināce: "in the killing of Pertinax," gerund in the ablative case (AG 507)
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
|
hinc [hīc], adv. |
from this place or time, hence |
|
administrātiō, ōnis [administrō], f. |
management, government |
|
Septimius, ī, m. |
(L.) Septimius Sevērus, Roman emperor 193–211 A.D. |
|
oriundus, a, um [orior], adj. |
descended, sprung from, originating, born |
|
Āfrica, ae, f. |
Africa; often the northern part of the continent, especially the part near Carthage |
|
Tripolitānus, a, um, adj. |
belonging to Tripolis; tripolitāna prōvincia, the province of Tripolis, in northern Africa |
|
Leptis, is, f, |
a Phoenician colony in the northern part of Africa |
|
fiscus, ī, m. |
a purse; treasury 2 |
|
advocātus, ī [advocō, to call to aid], m. |
a pleader, advocate; aider, helper |
|
mīlitāris, e [mīles], adj. |
military; as subst., a soldier; rēs mīlitāris, the art of war, military operations |
|
Pertināx, ācis, m. |
(Helvius) Pertināx, Roman emperor from January 1 to March 28, 193 A.D. 3 |
|
Iūliānus, ī, m. |
(1) (Flavius Claudius) Iūliānus, Roman emperor 361–363 A.D.; (2) Salvius Iūliānus, an eminent Roman jurist; (3) 3. Salvius Iūliānus, Roman emperor from March 28 to June 1, 193 A.D. |
|
parcus, a, um, adj. |
sparing, frugal, stingy, thrifty |
|
admodum [ad + modus], adv. |
up to the full limit, very, exceedingly |
|
fēlīciter [fēlīx], adv., comp. fēlicius, sup. fēlicissimē |
luckily, happily 4 |
|
Pescennius, ī, m. |
(C.) Pescennius Niger, Roman emperor 193–194 A.D. |
|
Aegyptus, ī, m. |
Egypt |
|
Syria, ae, f. |
Syria, a country of Asia, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea |
|
rebellō, āre, āvī, ātus |
to wage war again, rebel |
|
Cȳzicus, ī, f. |
a city of Mysia, in Asia Minor |
|
Parthī, ōrum, pl. m. |
a Scythian people southeast of the Caspian Sea |
|
Arabēs, ūm, pl. m. |
the inhabitants of Arabia |
|
interior, ius [inter], adj., comp., no positive, sup. intimus |
inner, interior |
|
Adiabēnī, ōrum, pl. m. |
the Adiabeni, a people living in the northern part of ancient Assyria |
|
idcircō [id + abl. of circus], adv. |
on that account, therefore |
|
Parthicus, a, um, adj. |
belonging to Parthia, cognomen of Septimius Sevērus |
|
Arabicus, a, um, adj. |
belonging to or pertaining to Arabia, cognomen of Septimius Severus |
|
Adiabēnicus, a, um, adj. |
a cognomen of the emperor Severus, a conqueror of the Adiabeni |
|
reparō, āre, āvī, ātus |
to renew, repair, reconstruct |
|
Clōdius, ī, m. |
the name of a Roman gens., refers to Albīnus |
|
Albīnus, ī, m. |
a family name at Rome, Clōdius Albīnus, governor of Britain at the death of Commodus. He revolted, and was defeated and slain by Septimius Sevērus at Lugdūnum, 197 A.D.; Sp. Postumius (Albīnus), consul 344 and 321 B.C.; Aulus Postumius Albinus, consul 242 B.C., L. Postumius Albīnus, consul 234 and 229 B.C.; Sp. Postumius Albinus, consul 186 B.C.; Sp. Postumius Albīnus, consul 110 B.C. |
|
Caesar, aris, m. |
a family name in the Julian gens. (1) C. Iūlius Caesar, the famous dictator; (2) Sex. Iūlius Caesar, uncle of the dictator. Consul 91 B.C.; (3) C. Octāviānus, the emperor Augustus |
|
Gallia, ae, f. |
the country of the Gauls; modern France and the territories on the west bank of the Rhine. The northern part of Italy was settled by Gauls, and was called Gallia Cisalpina; hence the pl. Galliae. |
|
Lugdūnum, ī, n. |
a city in Gaul, now Lyons |