fl. 25 B.C.

Roman Soldier

In 25 B.C., Aelius Gallus led a military expedition to the region the Romans called "Arabia Felix," or modern-day Yemen. His mission was to extend Roman control throughout the Arabian Peninsula and gain for his emperor the wealthy spice-producing states at the peninsula's southern tip, but things did not turn out as planned. What he gained was not a new province, but a lesson for the seemingly invincible empire: that even Rome, with all its power and irresistible influence, had its limits.

The details of Aelius's life prior to his expedition are a mystery. He served as prefect of Egypt, a position in which he succeeded Gaius Cornelius Gallus (c. 70-26 B.C.), though his familial relation to that other Gallus—if any—is likewise unknown. In any case, soon after taking his post, Gallus received orders from Augustus (63 B.C...