Avidius Cassius Gaius Avidius Cassius ( " c " . 130 – July 175 ) was a Roman general and usurper who briefly ruled Egypt and Syria in 175 . Background . A descendant of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes , Avidius Cassius was the son of Gaius Avidius Heliodorus , a noted orator who was augustal prefect of Egypt from 137 to 142 under Hadrian , and wife Junia Cassia Alexandria . He was born in the town of Cyrrhus in Syria , although he once called Alexandria his ' paternal city ' . Early career . It is assumed that Cassius began his career during the reign of Antonius Pius . Possibly adlected as a quaestor in 154 AD , it is assumed that the young " vir militaris " was stationed in the final years of Pius ’ s reign as a " legatus " in one of the legion s stationed along the Danube in Moesia Inferior , watching over the Sarmatians . Certainly by 161 AD , he is noted as a " legatus " in the legions . He quickly came to prominence around 164 AD under the emperor Marcus Aurelius during the Parthian War , as the " legatus " of Legio III Gallica . A strict disciplinarian , in 165 he marched down the Euphrates and defeated the Parthians at Dura - Europos . By year ’ s end , Cassius had travelled to the south and crossed Mesopotamia at its narrowest point and proceeded to attack the twin Parthian cities on the Tigris river , Seleucia on the right bank , and Ctesiphon , the Parthian capital , on the left . He captured Ctesiphon and burnt the palace of Vologases , and although Seleucia had opened its gates to the Romans , he destroyed it as well , claiming that the local population had broken their agreement . In dire need of supplies , and with his soldiers showing the first signs of having contracted the plague at Seleucia , he marched back to Syria with the spoils of the campaign . Sending details of his achievements to Rome , he was rewarded with elevation to the Senate , although officially the campaign was credited to his commander - in - chief , Lucius Verus . Verus even ordered Cassius to write up the events of the campaign so that Verus could write himself into the official history of the campaign . In May of 166 AD , he was made suffect consul , a position he held outside of Rome . During that year , he and Verus launched a new campaign against the Parthians , this time across the northern Tigris river , and into Media . There , rumours ( ultimately false ) reached Rome that Cassius had crossed the Indus River along with the Third Syrian legion . By the end of 166 , Cassius had been made imperial legate of the Roman province of Syria . In 172 , Cassius suppressed a revolt of the Bucoli ( or herdsmen ) in Egypt that had broken out and was centered in the area of the Pentapolis of Middle Egypt due to an explosion in grain prices at the time . His strategy was to divide the various tribespeople , but before he could enter Egypt , he had to be given special powers which gave him " imperium " over all the provinces of the east . Usurper . In 175 Cassius was proclaimed Roman emperor after the erroneous news of the death of Marcus Aurelius ; the sources also indicate he was encouraged by Marcus ' s wife Faustina , who was concerned about her husband ' s ill health , believing him to be on the verge of death , and felt the need for Cassius to act as a protector in this event , since her son Commodus , aged 13 , was still young . She also wanted someone who would act as a counter - weight to the claims of Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus , who was in a strong position to take the office of Princeps in the event of Marcus ’ s death . The evidence , including Marcus ' s own " Meditations " , supports the idea that Marcus was indeed quite ill , but by the time Marcus recovered , Cassius was already fully acclaimed by the Egyptian legions of II Traiana Fortis and XXII Deitoriana ( please check your source for XXII Deitoriana - the legion is last attested in AD119 , and is presumed destroyed in the Jewish revolt of Simon Ben Kosiba ; it no longer existed by AD145 , when the legions were listed ) . At first , according to Cassius Dio , Marcus , who was on campaign against tribes in the north , tried to keep the rebellion a secret from his soldiers , but after the news had spread among them , he addressed them . In this speech that Dio attributes to Marcus , he laments the disloyalty of " a dearest friend " , while at the same time expressing his hope that Cassius would not be killed or commit suicide , so that he could show mercy . In the meantime , the Senate declared Cassius a public enemy . At the start of his rebellion , he was in a reasonable position . In his native Syria , and more broadly throughout the eastern provinces he had a good number of followers . They were inspired by a combination of his royal descent and his victories in the Parthian wars , as well as his suppression of the revolt of the Bucoli . He also had ties through marriage to a large group of Lycia n nobles . In terms of military resources , he had around seven legions – his three Syrian legions , plus two in Palestine , one in Arabia and one in Egypt , with the Prefect , Calvisius Statianus , joining his revolt . It was in Egypt that Cassius made his base of operations , and it is known that Cassius was recognized as Emperor there by May 3 , since a document of that date is recorded as being in the first year of Cassius ' s reign . However , there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the beginning of his rebellion may well have been in April 175 , or possibly even March . Although he seized control of some of the most vital parts of the Roman East — Egypt being an important source of grain for the city of Rome — Cassius failed to find widespread support for his rebellion . The governor of Cappadocia , Martius Verus , remained loyal to Marcus Aurelius , while Herodes Atticus was reported to have sent him a letter , containing one Greek word : " emanes " ( ‘ you are mad ’ ) . Rome was panicked by the news , forcing the Emperor to send Gaius Vettius Sabinianus Julius Hospes , the governor of Pannonia Inferior with a force to secure the city . Yet it was soon clear that Marcus Aurelius was in a stronger position , with many more legions available to him than were available to Cassius . " After a dream of empire lasting three months and six days " , Cassius was murdered by a centurion ; his head was sent to Marcus Aurelius , who refused to see it and ordered it buried . Egypt recognized Marcus as emperor again by July 28 , 175 . Marriage and children . Cassius was married to Volusia Vettia or Volusia Maeciana ( c . 135 – aft . 175 ) , daughter of Lucius Volusius Maecianus , and had at least three children ( the Historia Augusta implies he may have had more ) :