Aper

• a Roman cognomen, Tac. Or. 2; Lampr. Commod. 2; Inscr. Grut. 692, 8.

a Greek grammarian, who lived in Rome in the time of Tiberius. He belonged to the school of Aristarchus, and was the instructor of Heracleides Ponticus. He was a strenuous opponent of the grammarian Didymus. (Suidas, s. v. Ἡρακλείδης.) [C.P.M]

a Roman orator and a native of Gaul, rose by his eloquence to the rank of Quaestor, Tribune, and Praetor, successively. He is introduced as one of the speakers in the Dialogue de Oratoribus, attributed to Tacitus, defending the style of oratory prevalent in his day against those who advocated the ancient form. (See cc. 2, 7, &c.)

the praetorian praefect, and the son-in-law of the emperor Numerian, murdered the emperor, as it was said, on the retreat of the army from Persia to the Hellespont. He carefully concealed the death of Numerian, and issued all the orders in his name, till the soldiers learnt the truth by breaking into the imperial tent on the Hellespont. They then elected Diocletian as his successor, A. D. 284, who straightway put Aper to death with his own hand without any trial. Vopiscus relates that Diocletian did this to fulfil a prophecy which had been delivered to him by a female Druid, " Imperator eris, cum Aprum occideris." (Vopisc. Numer. 12-14; Aurel. Vict. de Caes. 38, 39, Epit. 38; Eutrop. 9.12, 13.)

(1) Marcus. A Roman orator of the first century A.D. He was a native of Gaul, but spent most of his life at Rome. He is one of the speakers in the Dialogus of Tacitus. He died A.D. 85.

(2) Arrius. A prefect of the Praetorian Guards under the emperor Carus, whom, while ill, he assassinated, pretending that the death had been caused by lightning. The motive of this deed was a desire to secure an election as emperor at the hands of the Guards, and the same ambition also led him to poison Numerianus, the successor of Carus. Falling under suspicion, after successfully accomplishing this crime, Aper was executed by order of Diocletian, whom the soldiery had made emperor. See Aurel. Vict. 38; Vopisc. Carus, 8; id. Numer. 12 foll.