Cassius (usurper; Egypt and Syria; r.175.04-07)
In 172 the priest Isidorus led a rebellion of the Bouloloi (the Bucolic Revolt), herdsmen in the Nile Delta. They defeated a Roman army and marched on Alexandria, which was nearly taken. Avidius Cassius, as governor of Syria Palaestina, having been given imperium over all the provinces in the East, declined to meet the rebels in pitched battle, but instead wore them down by attrition. By the end of 173 the revolt was over.
In 175 Cassius, apparently having been misinformed that Marcus, whose health had always been poor, was either dying or dead, declared himself emperor and was acknowledged as such by the armies of Syria and Aegyptus. As soon as it became known that Marcus was neither dying nor dead, Cassius was deposed and killed by his own men. Marcus spent the winter in Alexandria and eventually quelled the sedition, punishing and confiscating the property of all who had allegedly supported Cassius during his three-month rule.
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