Dio Cassius

• Dio Cassius  (c. 155-235 CE), also known as Cassius Dio, was a Roman Senator and Historian under the Emperor Commodus.
• He is noted for his Work, the History of Rome’, which covered 1,000 years of history and took him 22 years to write.

Political Career

• Governor of Smyrna.
• Suffect Consul in 205 CE.
• Proconsul of Africa Proconsularis.
• Proconsul of Pannonia Superior.

Works

• ‘Historia Romana’ (793 BCE to 229 CE)
  • The ‘History of Rome’ written in 80 Volumes.

Testudo

• Dio Cassius wrote a description of how the Roman Army used the ‘Tortoise’ during Mark Anthony‘s invasion of the Parthian Empire in 36 BCE:
  • Those on the outer lines positioned their shields vertically to form a wall around them.
  • Those in the centre positioned their shields above their heads horizontally and interlocked them to form a roof.
  • The Shield Wall successfully prevented showers of arrows from penetrating.
  • The interlocking Shields also formed such a strong roof that, according to Dio Cassius, it could be used to bridge small gulleys so that the other legionaries could march over it, and even drive horses and vehicles across it.