Quintus Antistius Adventus

Quintus Antistius Adventus (c. 120 -- after 175) of the gens Antistia was a Roman politician and general. He commanded a legion, the II Adiutrix in the war against the Parthian Empire (161-166), and was appointed suffect consul around 166.

An inscription recovered from Thibilis in Numidia (ILS 8977), Antistius Adventus allows us to reconstruct his career from its beginning. He held one of the posts of the vigintivirate, then served as tribune of Legio I Minervia. After this he held the three Republican magistrates of quaestor, tribune of the plebs, then praetor, and between those magistrates he served as sevir equitum Romanorum at Rome and legate to the Proconsul of Africa. After the praetorship he was given command of Legio VI Ferrata, the post he held at the advent of the Parthian War. He was then transferred to the command of the II Adiutrix probably in 162.

From the honors he was awarded fighting against Parthia, it is clear Antistius Adventus saw active service. He was appointed c. 164 governor of Arabia; an inscription from Bostra describes Antistius Adventus as consul designate, and Antony Birley presumes he held that office while in Arabia. His next appointment was again in Rome as Curator of public buildings and works.

At this point Antistius Adventus was given an extraordinary command, as a general in the German Expedition (leg. Aug. at praetenturam Italiae et Alpium expeditione Germanica), which was launched by Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus in 168. His command was included the two newly-raised Legio II and III Italicae, protecting the passes through the Julian Alps from the invading German tribes. Although the tribes did penetrate the Julian Alps and attempted to capture Aquileia in 170, Birley believes by that time Antistius Adventus had moved on to the position of governor of Germania Inferior, the last post listed for him in the inscription from Thibilis.

Another inscription from Lanchester near Hadrian's Wall (RIB 1083) attests that Antistius Adventus was governor of Roman Britain. Birley believes his tenure there should be "very tentatively" dated to c. 173-6. This was the period that 5,500 Sarmatian cavalry troops arrived in Britain, so one of his tasks in Britain was providing lands for these troops to settle on. His activities after he was governor of Britain are unknown, although it is possible Antistius Adventus was the Adventus to whom Solinus dedicated his Collectanea rerum memorabilium, which includes the well-known reference to the use of coal in a temple to Minerva in Britain.

He was married to Novia Crispina, whom Birley identifies as the daughter of L. Novius Crispinus, who was de facto governor of Numidia as the commander of Legio III Augusta; this marriage, Birley suspects, allowed Antistius Adventus entry into his senatorial career. Birley also identifies Lucius Antistius Burrus, consul ordinarius for 181 and son-in-law of Marcus Aurelius, as his son.