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Caesar during his GALLIC WARS, and the rebellion ended.
As emperor, Macrinus appears to have felt indebted to Adventus and appointed him a senator, a fellow
consul and then prefect of the city. These appointments, made in 218, angered the Senate and the Roman
populace, who considered Adventus an assassin. Macrinus tried to make amends by replacing Adventus as
prefect with Marius Maximus, which did nothing to appease the Senate. Macrinus died at the hands of
Caracalla's family, having no powerful protectors or friends. Adventus, the cause of so many of
Macrinus' problems, simply faded from public view.
¤ ADVOCATUS The legal presenter of a case in the Roman judicial system, requiring skill in law,
precedence, history and oratory. The advocatus was a gifted speaker who could elevate his defense to an
intellectual, philosophical and rhetorical level that increased the chances of winning. The advocatus was
distinct from the JURIST in the Roman court system, but in the Late Empire a decline of jurists caused
the roles to overlap and become blurred. Fees were originally banned for the advocati, but this tradition
was abandoned. One of the greatest advocati in Roman history was CICERO. See also LAW.
¤ AEDESIUS (ea. 280/90-355 A.D.) A Neoplatonic philosopher of the late 4th century, who studied in
Syria under IAMBLICHUS. Aedesius' students included the future Emperor JULIAN and the historian
EUSEBIUS, bishop of Caesarea. Aedesius could be a staunch defender of his beliefs. When another
Neoplatonist, Hierocles, placed a virgin into a brothel in Egypt, Aedesius beat him severely with a stick for
this act. See also NEOPLATONISM.
¤ AEDILE An administrator of Rome, taken from the Latin aedes, which meant temple; their usefulness
and political position increased over the centuries. During the Republic, the aediles supervised the streets,
temples and quarters of Rome and, more important, the CURA ANNONAE, the distribution of the vital
corn supply. As the Empire dawned, Augustus, like Caesar before him, made adjustments to their power,
in order to create a more professional imperial administration. The historian Tacitus painted a rather dear
picture of the role of the aediles during the early Empire. They were to tend public buildings, keep the
streets clean, police the city (although the URBAN COHORTS also fulfilled this task) and superintend the
markets and the games. Also, the aediles helped supervise the cleaning up of the city, an activity that they did
not perform particularly well. Aediles were also charged with the task of destroying any and all books
condemned by the Senate and enforced all sumptuary laws.
¤ AEDUI A tribe centered in Gallic Burgundy, whose dealings with Rome were both successful and