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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 2nd century
B.C., 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.
The power of the Averni was effectively shattered, and the Aedui were preeminent until about 80 B.C.,
when Celtillus ruled them. The GALLIC WARS (58-52 B.C.) gave the Averni their last chance for
greatness. Vervingetorix, 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. The Averni capital of Gergovia was renamed Augustonemetum by Augustus, and the Averni were
reduced in status. In the 5th century A.D., their lands were taken by the Visigoths.
¤ AVIDIUS HELIODORUS (fl. early 2nd century A.D.) 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 A.D.) A member of the wealthy and influential Avidius family
who held numerous posts during the reign of TRAJAN (97-117 A.D.). He 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, Nigrinus
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' differing position on the imperial policy, as well as his longstanding friendship with Trajan.
¤ AVIDIUS QUIETUS, TITUS (fl. late 1st century A.D.) Consul in 93 A.D. and 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 A.D.) and he was a friend of both PLINY THE YOUNGER and
PLUTARCH.
¤ AVITUS
(d. C. 456 A.D.) 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
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