Timasius

Timasius was a Roman officer, serving under the command of Emperor Valens (r. 364–378), who survived the Battle of Adrianople (378), in which the Roman emperor lost his life.^[1] Emperor Theodosius I appointed Timasius magister equitum in 386 and magister peditum in 388.^[2] During his tenure as magister militum praesentalis (386–395),^[3] Timasius was made a consul, along with Promotus, in 389.^[2][4] In 391, he followed Theodosius in the campaign against the barbariansinMacedonia.^[2] In that same year, Theodosius was on the verge of annihilating some barbarian units that were hiding in Roman territory when Timasius told him that the troops needed food and rest; the Roman soldiers, numbed into a slumber by too much food and drink, were taken by surprise and even Theodosius was almost taken prisoner.^[5] When Theodosius returned to Constantinople, there was a clash between Timasius and his colleague Promotus and the powerful Rufinus; Theodosius sided with Rufinus, who arranged for Promotus's death.^[6]

Timasius also fought in the Battle of the Frigidus of 394, against the usurper Eugenius, as commander-in-chief of the Roman troops, but with the collaboration of Stilicho.^[7] After the victory, he returned to the East.^[8]

In 395, Theodosius died and his son Arcadius (r. 383–408) had succeeded him on the Eastern throne. The following year, Timasius was the victim of a purge of Theodosius's generals orchestrated by the powerful eunuch Eutropius to get rid of potential opponents.^[2][9] Eutropius specifically forced Bargus, a Syrian sausage-seller brought by Timasius from Sardis and later made tribunus(?) of the East, to falsely accuse Timasius of high treason.^[10] As a result, Timasius was put on trial and the judge, Saturninus, exiled him in 396 to the Kharga Oasis of the Libyan Desert.^[2][11] Slightly conflicting accounts report that Timasius was either unable to escape from the oasis or that his attempted escape led him to his death on the border between Egypt and Libya.^[12]

Timasius had a wife named Pentadia and a son named Syagrius.^[4][13]