Later Life
In 267 Gallienus appointed Volusianus Praefectus Urbis - i.e. Urban Prefect (Imperial Governor of the City of Rome). This was a hugely important and prestigious post in the hierarchy of the Imperial service. Unlike the Praetorian Prefecture - see above - holders of the Urban Prefecture were invariably men of senatorial status. We have no means of knowing why Gallienus decided to relieve Volusianus of the Praeetorian Prefecture in order to give him this appointment or whether it would have been regarded as a promotion or demotion.
As Urban Prefect it is assumed that Volusianus remained in Rome when Gallienus went to the Balkans to deal with the invasion of the Goths and Heruls in 267-8. There is no record of him taking part in that campaign nor is he mentioned by any ancient source in connection with the conspiracy that led to Gallienus's assassination by his leading military officers at Milan.
Read more about this topic: Volusianus (L. Petronius Taurus Volusianus)
Famous quotes containing the word life:
“History not used is nothing, for all intellectual life is action, like practical life, and if you don’t use the stuff—well, it might as well be dead.”
—A.J. (Arnold Joseph)
“After I discovered the real life of mothers bore little resemblance to the plot outlined in most of the books and articles I’d read, I started relying on the expert advice of other mothers—especially those with sons a few years older than mine. This great body of knowledge is essentially an oral history, because anyone engaged in motherhood on a daily basis has no time to write an advice book about it.”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)