Gens: AVIDIUS
Created: 22nd October 2013
Update:  26th February 2019
Status Republic: Patrician:     Pleb. Nobilis:       Senatorial:      Eques Romanus:      Local magistrate:  
Republican Family / Cognomen
Patrician n/a
Pleb. Nobilis n/a
Senatorial n/a
Equestrian n/a
Local magistrat. n/a
Uncertain n/a
Imperial Family / Cognomen
Imperators Cassius
Consular Nigrinus, Quietus
Senatorial Celer, Commodus,
Equestrian Heliodorus (father of Cassius)
Equestrian (mil) Trachalus
Local magistrat. Biadas, Phaerton
Uncertain Antiochus, Heliodorus (son of Cassius), Maecianus (son of Cassius)
Republican Consuls, Tribunes with consular power, Dictators, Magister Equitum, Censors 0
Imperial Consuls and Emperors (Augusti and Caesars) 4 incl. 1 emperor
Notes: The nomen of the Avidii in Laconia derive from T. Avidius Quietus, who was procos of Achaia c.90/92 AD.
Literature Adak, Mustafa and Wilson, Mark: "Das Vespasiansmonument von Döseme und die Gründung der Doppelprovinz Lycia et Pamphylia", in  2012, Gephyra vol.9, 2012, p.1-41 
inscription s shows that Avidius Celer was 1st governor of combined province of Lycia et Pamphylia already 70-72, not 72-74 as previously assumed. 
He may have been leg leg of III Gal previously
Aichinger: Macedonia (1979) p.620-621 (§16 [C. Avi]dius C[eioni]us [Comm]odu[s], RE1a, procos some time between end of reign of Domitian and beginning of Trajan)
Alföldy: Konsulat (1977) p.181, 240, 279-282, 298, 321 (C. Avidius Cassius, cos suff 166, but not 161/163) 
Alföldy: Legionslegaten Rheinarmeen (1967) p.15 (§24 T. Avidius Quietus, cos suff 93, leg leg VIII Aug 82-?84)
Bastianini, G: "Lista dei prefetti d'Egitto dal 30a al 299p", in ZPE Bd. 17 (1975), p.288 (C. Avidius Heliodorus, praef Aegypt  137-142)
Bastianini, G: "Lista dei prefetti d'Egitto dal 30a al 299p: aggiunte e correzioni"", in ZPE Bd. 38 (1980), p.81 (C. Avidius Heliodorus, praef Aegypt  137-142)
Birley: Roman Government of Britain (2005) p.102-104 (§14 T. Avidius Quietus, cos 93, governor 98, possibly to 101)
Bradford: Prosopography of Lacedaemonians (1977) p.89 (C. Avidius Biadas, eponymous patronomos), p.444 (Avidius Phaerton fl. 211/217)
Crook: Consilium Principis (1955) p.153 (§44 C. Avidius Heliodorus, amicus of Hadrian; §45 C. Avidius Nigrinus, cos suff 110, amicus of Trajan; §46 Avidius Severus, 
spurious father of Avidius Cassius, termed amicus of Marcus Aurelius by Historia Augusta)
Dabrowa: Governors of Syria (1998) p.112-117 (C. Avidius Cassius, governor 166-175, he doubts whether Cassius had imperium maius in the East as other scholars believe)
Dabrowa: Legio X Fretensis (1993) p.39-40 (§13 anonymous leg leg X Fret c.108, Syme suggests he is C. Avidius Ceionius Commodus RE1a)
Eck: Fasten der Statthalter 1.teil, (1982), p.291-293 (Cn. Avidius Celer etc, Lycia 72/3-73/4), p.319, 330-334 (T. Avidius Quietus, Achaia 91/92, Britannia 98/99-100/101), 
p.355-361 (C. Avidius Nigrinus, Dacia 113/114-116/117)
Eck: Fasten der Statthalter 2.teil, (1983), p.162 (T. Avidius Quietus, Asia 125-126), p.186-187 (C. Avidius Nigrinus, Achaia after 110?), p.186-187 (Avidius Nigrinus, Achaia sub Domitian)
Fitz: Pannonien (1993-1995) p.589 (§331 [C. Avi]dius C[eioni]us [Comm]odu[s], RE1a, leg leg X Gem in Pann)
Franke: Legionslegaten (1991) p.179-182 (§79 T. Avidius Quietus, legio VIII Aug 81-83/4 ), p.217 (§92 C. Avidius Ceionius Commodus, legio X Gem between 102 and 114; 
legio X Fret between 108 and 114)
Groag: Achaia (1939) p.42 (Avidius Nigrinus, ? procos under Domitian). p.43-44 (T. Avidius Quietus, procos 91/95), p.54-57 (C. Avidius Nigrinus, leg Aug pro pr, year unknown)
Halfmann: Senatoren (1979) p.177-179 (§100 C. Avidius Cassius, doubts he had imperium maius of the East), p.179-180 (§100a C. Avidius Heliodorus, A1405)
Jameson, Shelagh: "Two Lycian Families", in Anatolian Studies, Vol. 16 (1966), pp. 126-127 on the descendents of Avidius Cassius; stemma p.136f.
Jarvis, Paul: "Avidius Cassius and Maecianus in the "Historia Augusta"", in Mnemosyne, Fourth Series, Vol. 68, Fasc. 4 (2015), pp. 666-676, suggests that the Maecianus
killed in Avidius Cassius' revolt in 175 could by L. Volusius Maecianus, cos suff c.166 and not Cassius' son.
Kienast: Römische Kaisertabelle (1990) p.142-143 (imp C. Avidius Cassius)
Lacey: Equestrian officials (1917) p.23-24 (§55 C. Avidius Heliodorus, praef Aegypt, attested 138-141)
Piso: Fasti Daciae I (1993) p.19-23 (§3 C. Avidius Nigrinus, cos suff 110, governor 110/12-115, he makes him the leg Aug påro pr corrector sent to Achaia in unknown year)
Piso: Fasti Daciae II (2013) p.21-24 (Piso now prefers that C. Avidius Nigrinus, cos suff 110, was governor c.115-117)
Raepsaet-Charlier: PFOS (1987) stemma XV (family of Avidius Cassius), stemma XXIX (descendents of Avidius Nigrinus A1407)
Reinmuth: Prefects of Egypt (1967) p.95-96 (/C. Avidius Heliodorus, praef Aegypti 137-142)
Remy: Carrieres Senatoriales Anatolie (1989) p.287-288 (§233 Cn. Avidius Celer Fiscillinus Firmus, governor of Lycia-Pamphylia c.72/3-73/4)
Rizakis/Zoumbaki: Roman Peloponnese II (2004) p.131 (§Laconia198 C. Avidius A), p.131-132 (§Laconia199 C. Avidius Biadas patronomos of Sparta c.150/151), p.133(§Lac200 
Avidius Phaerton, c.211/217)
Salomies: Nomenclature Addenda (2014) p.532-533 (A1403's full name is now attested as Cn. Avidius Celer Rutilius Lupus  Fiscilius Firmus and not Cn. Avidius Celer Fiscillinus Firmus
Rutilius Lupus is omitted in some inscriptions.)
Setälä: Roman Brick Stamps (1977) p.75-76 (mention on brick-stamp Avidius Quietus, cos suff 93, or more likely his son cos suff 111)
Settipani: Continuite (2000) p.281-283 (suggests [C. Avi]dius C[eioni]us [Comm]odu[s], if restoration of name is correct, could be the son of T. Avidius Quietus, cos 93, and a Ceionia
sister of L. Ceionius Commodus cos suff 78, who was the father of cos 106), p.284 (stemma of Avidius Nigrinus cos 110 and his daughters), p.459-463 (family of Avidius Cassius)
Stein: Dazien (1944) p.10-11 (C. Avidius Nigrinus, governor between 112 and 117)
Stein: Moesien (1940) p.41 (C. Avidius Nigrinus, cos suff 110, was governor of Dacia, not Moesia)
Stein: Präfekten von Ägypten (1950) p.72-74 (C. Avidius Heliodorus, praef Aegypti, attested 138-141)
Syme, Ronald: "Antonine Relatives: Ceionii and Vettuleni", in Arthenaeum vol.35, 1957, p.306-315 (also Roman Papers Vol.I, p.325-332 with stemma p.331
Syme, Ronald: "Avidius Cassius: His Rank, Age, and Quality", in Roman Papers Vol 5, 1988, article 41, p 689-701
Thomasson: SPQR (1975) p.98-99 (§ignotus 10: could be [C. Avi]dius C[eioni]us [Comm]odu[s], RE1a)
Changes 2013-10-22 the elder Nigrinus' praenomen Caius is marked with a "?", RE1a is an uncertain identification,  "or procos" removed from A1403 Celer, 
and Sex. Ceionius Civica Barbarus removed. He is a Vettulenus, not a Ceionius (see Syme RP Vol I. p.325-332). Finally Plautia's 1st husband was probably 
the cos 106 with Nigrinus 2nd.
2019.02.26 New header, reference list plus many updates
REPUBLIC
IMPERIAL                                                      
A1403 RE1b LP30-8
(Avidius) Cn. Avidius Celer Rutilius Lupus Fiscilius Firmus
ab Faventia in Aemilia ? leg leg III Gal in Syria c.69/70
praetorian leg Aug pro pr Lycia et Pamph 70-72 (not 72/74)
1st legatus of combined province
 
A1410 RE8 LP14-14 22-4 24-18 A1407 RE5 LP24-15
T. Avidius Quietus       (C.?) Avidius Nigrinus
leg leg VIII Aug in Germ Sup 82 procos provincia (Achaia ?) sub Domitian
procos Achaia 90/91 or 91/92
cos suff 93 
leg Aug pro pr Brit 98-(101?)
† by 107
   
A1409 A1400 RE7+7a LP26-114 A1408 RE6 cf RE5 LP21-2 24-24 RE1a LP23-17 34-23
(T.) Avidius Quietus C. Avidius Nigrinus [C. Avi]dius C[eioni]us [Comm]odu[s] ??
cos suff 111  tr pl 105 (Nigrinus) adlectio inter praetorios 105 restored from 1 inscription
procos Asia 125/126 leg Aug pro pr Achaia (special mission)  Son of Nigrinus by a Ceionia ??
cos suf 110, Dacia (or Moesia Sup) 112-c.115  (or c.115-117) tr laticl legio VII (Gem or Claudia), q, tr pl, pr, 
amicus of Trajan, † 118 exc leg pro pr of procos Pontus-Bithyn,
1 ~ ignota (? Fabia FOS347) procos Macedonia c 100 leg leg X Gem c.102
 dt of Q. Fabius Postuminus cos suff 96 leg leg X Fret et Judaea ca 108
2 ~ (Plautia FOS615)
? dt of L. Aelius Lamia Plautius Aelianus, cos suff 80
1~ L. Ceionius Commodus cos 106
3~ Sex. Vettulenus Civica Pompeianus cos ord 136
1 2    
FOS128 A1412 RE10 FOS130   C605 RE7 A1405 RE3 Pf106 LP37-54 A1411 RE9
(Avidia)     Avidia Plautia   L. Ceionius Commodus C. Avidius Heliodorus Avidius Severus
(L. AELIUS CAESAR) Syrian Rhetor from Cyrrhus homo novus
~ L. CAESAR ~ L. Epidius Titius Aquilinus cos ord 136 137 † 138 ab epistulis 120-122-130 fictatious father of RE1
cos 136 → cos ord 125 ~ Avidia  amicus of Hadrian
praef Aegyp 137-142
~ (Cassia), ?? sister to  
C. Cassius Agrippa cos suff 130
 
? A1402 RE1 LP20-92 33-60   Lac199
(Avidia) Laodice                 C. Avidius Cassius   C. Avidius Biadas
IMP CAESAR C. AVIDIUS CASSIUS AUG eponymous patronomos 
* 130?,  Syrian ab Cyrrhus of Sparta c.150/151
~ Hieronymus ? leg Aug pro pr Moesia Inf 161-162
notable in Syria leg leg III Gall vs Parthians 163/4-166
cos suff in absentis 166 (or less likely 162/163)
leg Aug pro pr Syria 166-175
leg Aug pro pr Arabia 169/170-175
? imperium maius (rector totius Orientis) in the East 169-175
rebel proclaimed imperator 175
imp 3 months, 6 days (end April to start August 175) 
  † 175 murdered by his soldiers
  ? ~ (Volusia Maeciana FOS835 or Maecia), 
  dt of L. Volusius Maecianus, cos suff c.166
   
A1401   A1404 RE2 A1406 RE4   A512 RE9a RE Alex23 FOS129
Avidius Antiochus (Avidius) Heliodorus   (Avidius) Maecianus   (Avidia) Alexandria
notable in Syria exiled 175 † 175 murderedby soldiers retired to Lycia 175
† aged 23 ~ Ti. Claudius Dryantianus Antoninus (C859 RE141), Lychiarc,
son of Ti. Claudius Agrippinus cos suff 155/160
 
C828 RE Clau93 Bar146 C1132 RE Clau429 FOS256 C1100 RE421a FOS241   C1091 RE Clau415 FOS234 Lac200
Claudius Cassius Agrippinus   Claudia Vettia Agrippina (Claudia) Maeciana Alexandra Claudia Dryantilla Platonis Avidius Phaerton
from Patara in Lycia matrona senatoria 204 synarch of the agoranomia
senator ~ Ti. Claudius Themistocles ~ T.  Flavius Callaischrus ~ Cornelius Optatus or Optatianus at Sparta 211/217
asiarch cos suff an inc (C1409)
UNCERTAIN DATE                                                    
PMEA-263
P. Avidius Trachalus
tomb at Tusculum in Latium
praef coh, tr coh,
2nd century