Gaius Cassius Regallianus

Gaius^[1] Cassius Regallianus^[2] was a Roman senator active around AD 200. He was appointed consul suffectus in 202 as the colleague of .

Both Regallianus and his colleague were unknown to historians until the publication in 2001 of a military diploma. This discovery, and especially Regallianus' existence, attracted attention, for previously the only known occurrence of the cognomen "Regal(l)ianus" is that of a usurper, Regalianus, who in 260 revolted against the emperor Gallienus, in the area of the Danube. He is known only by the coins he had struck and a passage in the unreliable Historia Augusta. The coins minted from the usurper bear his name as P C REGALIANVS, whose nomen is usually expanded as Cornelius, although other possibilities are not excluded.

The presence, in the early 3rd century, of a consul with the rare cognomen Regalianus and belonging to a family whose name begins with 'C' opens the way to some interesting possibilities. A Regalianus descended from this consul might have been appointed governor of Moesia or Pannonia, and have rebelled against Gallienus. This would also solve a problem raised by the Historia, which states Regalianus was of equestrian rank, while his governorship required the senatorial rank, as did the consulate.

See also[]

• Regalianus

Notes[]

References[]

• Pferdehirt, Barbara,"Vier neue Militärdiplome im Besitz des Römisch-Germanischen Zenralmuseums", Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 2001.
• Eck, Werner, "Prosopographische Bemerkungen zum Militärdiplom vom 20.12.202 n. Chr. Der Flottenpräfekt Aemilius Sullectinus und das Gentilnomen des Usurpators Regalianus", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 139 (2002), pp. 208–210.