Tiberius Claudius Balbilus
Encyclopedia
Tiberius Claudius Balbillus or Balbilus, also known as ‘Balbillus the Wise‘, was an Egypt
ian Greek
astrologer and a learned scholar. Balbillus was the son of astrologer Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus
, also known as Thrasyllus of Mendes and Princess Aka II of Commagene
, who was either a granddaughter or great granddaughter of King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene
. His sister was Eunia
, who married the Praetorian Prefect
Naevius Sutorius Macro
.
Balbillus was of Equestrian rank. He was born and raised in Alexandria
, Egypt
. During the reign of Roman Emperor
Caligula
he fled from Rome
to Alexandria
, but returned to Rome under Roman Emperor Claudius
, with whom he had been friendly when they were children and had met at his father's house. He accompanied Claudius on his expedition to Britain
as an officer in the 20th legion (Legio XX Valeria Victrix)
and when they returned was awarded a crown of honor. Other sources mention his Hasta Pura
. Balbillus was one of the highest magistrates of Equestrian rank that served in Rome.
Appointed high priest at the Temple of Hermes in Alexandria and director of the Library
, he split his time between there and Rome. He foretold an eclipse
which fell on one of the emperor’s birthdays, and remained as advisor to Claudius even after the emperor had passed an edict expelling all astrologers from Rome. He avoided the fatal end of many astrologers under Roman Emperor Nero
, who in 56 appointed him Prefect of Egypt
, where he stayed until 59. Balbillus returned to Rome under Roman Emperor Vespasian
. When he died, his friend Vespasian thought very highly of him and dedicated a sporting festival called the Balbillean Games, named and held in honor of his memory which was held at Ephesus
from 79 until into the 3rd century.
Balbillus married an unnamed Greek woman and they had an only child, a daughter called Claudia Capitolina
. Capitolina married a Greek Prince from the Kingdom of Commagene
called Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanes
. Through his daughter, Balbillus would become the maternal grandfather of Capitolina’s children with Epiphanes who were: Prince Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos
and Princess Julia Balbilla
.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
astrologer and a learned scholar. Balbillus was the son of astrologer Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus
Thrasyllus of Mendes
Thrasyllus of Mendes, whose full name was Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus , was an Egyptian Greek grammarian and literary commentator from Mendes, Egypt...
, also known as Thrasyllus of Mendes and Princess Aka II of Commagene
Aka II of Commagene
Aka II of Commagene, also known as Aka II was a Princess from the Kingdom of Commagene, who lived between the 1st century BC and 1st century. She was of Armenian and Greek descent.There are two possibilities on the origins of Aka II...
, who was either a granddaughter or great granddaughter of King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene
Antiochus I Theos of Commagene
Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos (Greek: о Αντίοχος Θεός Δίκαιος Επιφανής Φιλορωμαίος Φιλέλλην, meaning Antiochos, a just, eminent god, friend...
. His sister was Eunia
Eunia
Eunia, sometimes known as Ennia, was a Greek woman who lived in the 1st century Roman Empire. According to Suetonius she is known as Ennia Naeva .Eunia was of Greek and Armenian descent...
, who married the Praetorian Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
Naevius Sutorius Macro
Naevius Sutorius Macro
Quintus Naevius Cordus Sutorius Macro was a prefect of the Praetorian Guard, from 31 until 38, serving under the Roman Emperors Tiberius and Caligula...
.
Balbillus was of Equestrian rank. He was born and raised in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. During the reign of Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
he fled from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, but returned to Rome under Roman Emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
, with whom he had been friendly when they were children and had met at his father's house. He accompanied Claudius on his expedition to Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
as an officer in the 20th legion (Legio XX Valeria Victrix)
Legio XX Valeria Victrix
Legio vigesima Valeria Victrix was a Roman legion, probably raised by Augustus some time after 31 BC. It served in Hispania, Illyricum, and Germania before participating in the invasion of Britannia in 43 AD, where it remained and was active until at least the beginning of the 4th century...
and when they returned was awarded a crown of honor. Other sources mention his Hasta Pura
Hasta pura (military decoration)
The Hasta Pura or Hasta Donatica was a decoration for merit, awarded in Ancient Rome. The Roman sources do not concur about the precise character of the decoration. Some call it a decoration for valour, others mention that is has been awarded to civilians....
. Balbillus was one of the highest magistrates of Equestrian rank that served in Rome.
Appointed high priest at the Temple of Hermes in Alexandria and director of the Library
Library of Alexandria
The Royal Library of Alexandria, or Ancient Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt, was the largest and most significant great library of the ancient world. It flourished under the patronage of the Ptolemaic dynasty and functioned as a major center of scholarship from its construction in the...
, he split his time between there and Rome. He foretold an eclipse
Eclipse
An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer...
which fell on one of the emperor’s birthdays, and remained as advisor to Claudius even after the emperor had passed an edict expelling all astrologers from Rome. He avoided the fatal end of many astrologers under Roman Emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, who in 56 appointed him Prefect of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, where he stayed until 59. Balbillus returned to Rome under Roman Emperor Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
. When he died, his friend Vespasian thought very highly of him and dedicated a sporting festival called the Balbillean Games, named and held in honor of his memory which was held at Ephesus
Ephesus
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era...
from 79 until into the 3rd century.
Balbillus married an unnamed Greek woman and they had an only child, a daughter called Claudia Capitolina
Claudia Capitolina
Claudia Capitolina was an Egyptian Greek woman who lived in the Roman Empire, in the 1st century and possibly in the 2nd century. Capitolina came from a distinguished family of Equestrian rank. She was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt. Capitolina was the daughter and only child of Tiberius...
. Capitolina married a Greek Prince from the Kingdom of Commagene
Kingdom of Commagene
The Kingdom of Commagene was an ancient kingdom of the Hellenistic Age.Little is known of the region of Commagene prior to the beginning of the 2nd century BC. However, it seems that, from what little evidence remains, Commagene formed part of a larger state that also included Sophene...
called Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanes
Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanes
Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanes, also known as Julius Archelaus Epiphanes; Epiphanes; Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes or simply known as Gaius was an influential prince of the Kingdom of Commagene, who lived in the 1st century.Epiphanes was the first-born son and child to King...
. Through his daughter, Balbillus would become the maternal grandfather of Capitolina’s children with Epiphanes who were: Prince Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos
Philopappos
Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos or Philopappus, was a Prince of the Kingdom of Commagene who lived in the Roman Empire during the 1st century and 2nd century. He was one of the most prominent Greeks who lived in the Roman Empire....
and Princess Julia Balbilla
Julia Balbilla
Julia Balbilla was a noble Roman woman and a poet who lived between the 1st century and 2nd century in the Roman Empire.-Family & Early Life:...
.