Avaricum, Siege of Bloody event in 52 b. c.e., during Julius Caesar’s gallic wars, that was a temporary inconvenience to the Romans in the conquest of Gaul. During an uprising in unpacified Gaul, led by the chieftain Vercingetorix, caesar moved quickly to crush all opposition. one of his targets was the Biturigan city of Avaricum. The local tribes decided to resist openly and prepared the city for a siege. with around two legions, caesar skillfully broke attempts to raise his attack and then ruthlessly brought the city to its knees. Nearly 40,000 Biturigans died for nothing, as caesar lost only time.
Averni (Arverni) A tribe in Gaul that was long opposed to Roman imperialism and was a bitter enemy of another major people, the Aedui. The height of their power in Gaul was in the middle of the second century B. C.E., when their king was Luernius and they occupied all of the territory from the Rhone to the Atlantic. such a kingdom was not to be allowed by the Romans.
The Aedui joined Rome in a war with the Averni, who had the Allobroges as allies. The Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus crushed the Averni and their King Bituitus, son of Luernius, in a battle in 121 b. c.e.
The power of the Averni was effectively shattered, and the Aedui were preeminent until about 80 b. c.e., when Celtillus ruled them. The gallic wars (58-52 B. C.E.) gave the Averni their last chance for greatness. Vercingetorix, their king, was young but gifted, and under his leadership most of Gaul joined a revolt against Rome. Julius caesar ended any hopes for the Averni’s future at the siege of alesia in 52 b. c.e. The Averni capital of Gergovia was renamed Augustonemetum by Augustus, and the Averni were reduced in status. In the fifth century C. E., their lands were taken by the Visigoths.
Avidius Heliodorus (fl. early second century c. e.) Philosopher, secretary, and associate of Emperor Hadrian
Heliodorus acquired a reputation of philosophical and oratorical brilliance as a member of Hadrian’s intellectual circle. His official position was that of secretary of correspondence (see epistulis, ab). Later he served as prefect of Egypt, a reward for his speeches. His son was Avidius cassius, the general of Marcus Aurelius.
Avidius Nigrinus, Gaius (d. 118 c. e.) A member of the wealthy and influential Avidius family who held numerous posts during the reign of Trajan (97-117 c. e.)
Nigrinus was a tribune in 105, consul in 110, and, at a later time, a governor in the recently conquered Dacia. As a legate in achaea, he probably participated in Trajan’s attempt to reorganize and stabilize the administration of the financially troubled province. By the succession of Hadrian in 117, Nigrinus commanded considerable political respect and was seen as both a leading general and the probable heir. suddenly, in the summer of 118, he and three others were put to death by order of the senate for conspiring against Hadrian, probably due to Nigrinus’s differing position on the imperial policy, as well as his longstanding friendship with Trajan.
Avidius Quietus, Titus (fl. late first century c. e.) Consul in 93 c. e.
A successful military and social figure Quietus served as proconsul of Achaea and governor of Britain in 98. His brother was avidius nigrinus (consul 110 c. e.) and he was a friend of both pliny the younger and Plutarch.
Avitus (d. c. 456 c. e.) Emperor of the West (455-456) whose career in the service of the empire outmatched his brief and unsuccessful reign
Marcus Maecilius Flavius Eparchius Avitus came from a noble family in Gaul, where he was favored with the posts of magister militum and Praetorian prefect for the province. He was known mostly for his association with the Goths, especially the Visigoth King Theodoric i. in 437, Avitus had joined the powerful magister militum AETIUS in his fight against the Goths and had personally persuaded King Theodoric to accept a peace. In 451, Avi-tus once more proved useful to the western cause by persuading the king to join in the fight against Attila the Hun. Victory was attained, but Theodoric was killed. His son Theodoric II was, however, a friend of Avitus, and in 455 this association proved to be of tremendous political value.
Petronius Maximus reigned as emperor for less than four months in 455. When his death was reported to him at Tolosa, Avitus was approached by Theodoric with the idea of the prefect succeeding to the throne. on July 9-10, 455, Avitus was hailed as emperor by the Goths, and several weeks later was invested at Arles. He entered
Italy and assumed the consulship for 456. Although he was accepted by Marcian, the emperor of the East, he had trouble convincing the Roman Senate and the people that he should be emperor. He chose the magister militum RICIMER to defeat the Vandals who were threatening Italy, and the Romans chose to make Ricimer’s triumphs personal. Avitus, snubbed in this manner, found his own imperial position deteriorating. The Senate despised him and the mobs of Rome were enraged by his handling of a famine. In an attempt to ease the situation, Avitus dismissed his contingents of Gothic and Gallic troops but paid them off by stripping Rome of its bronze statues. Horrified, the people rebelled, forced Avitus out of the city and accepted the return of Ricimer and the other imperial candidate, Majorian.
Avitus was defeated in 456, probably in September of that year, at Placentia and was allowed to step down to seek a religious life. The Senate sentenced him to death, despite his being consecrated a bishop in late October. He fled to Gaul but died suspiciously on the way.
Axona At the Aisne River, between Laon and Reims; site of a battle between Galba, king of the Suessiones (Soissons), and Julius Caesar in 57 b. c.e. Galba led the Belgae with a force of about 75,000 men but was defeated. Caesar, as a result, marched northward into Bel-gica.
Axum African kingdom in the region of Abyssinia.
World History
