Background
Gaius Avidius Cassius was the son of Gaius Avidius Heliodorus and Julia Cassia Alexandra. He was born in 130 AD in Cyrrhus, Syria.
Gaius Avidius Cassius was the son of Gaius Avidius Heliodorus and Julia Cassia Alexandra. He was born in 130 AD in Cyrrhus, Syria.
In 172 Gaius Avidius Cassius was sent to Egypt, where he put down a dangerous rising of the Bucolici, the robber herdsmen of the delta of the Nile, after which he returned to Syria.
In 175 the emperor Aurelius fell ill, and his wife Faustina, to secure her position in case of his death, offered her hand and the throne to the successful general. A rumour of Aurelius's death having reached Syria, Cassius, without waiting for confirmation, proclaimed himself emperor; when the report proved false, it was too late for him to draw back, and he accordingly prepared for war.
The senate declared him a public enemy, although Aurelius even then expressed the hope that he might have the opportunity of pardoning him. Deploring the necessity for taking up arms against his trusted officer, Aurelius set out for the east. While in Illyria, he received the news that Cassius had been slain by his own officers. The murderers offered his head to Aurelius, who refused to admit them, and ordered itsimmediate burial.
Cassius was married to Volusia Vettia or Volusia Maeciana and had at least three children (the Historia Augusta implies he may have had more)
