QUIETUS, LUSIUS°

QUIETUS, LUSIUS° (second century C.E.), Roman general. Quietus, who was of Moorish origin, was commander of the Moorish cavalry in the Roman army as early as the time of Domitian. He especially distinguished himself in the wars during Trajan's reign and was one of his principal commanders in the Parthian campaign. Among his activities in Mesopotamia was the subduing of the Jews there, who were hostile to Rome. Trajan ordered Lusius Quietus to crush them. He conducted the attack craftily, killing many. As a reward for this success   he was appointed ruler of Judea in 117 C.E. (Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica, 4:2). Apparently Quietus also subdued the Jews in Judea who revolted against Rome. Details are lacking of this action, but a reference to them has been preserved in the talmudical accounts of "the war of Quietus." When Hadrian became emperor he removed Quietus from his command of the Moors and from the army, and shortly after he was executed for participating in a conspiracy against the emperor. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Schuerer, Hist., 277f., 292f.; Pauly-Wissowa, 26 (1927), 1874–90, no. 9; Allon, Toledot, 1 (19583), 255ff.; E.M. Smallwood, in: Historia, 11 (1962), 500–10; S. Appelbaum, Yehudim vi-Yvanim be-Kirini ha-Kedumah (1969), 255–61, 273–4. (Uriel Rappaport)