Placidus

Family: Roman · Role: tribune · First appears: Book III, Chapter 4

Placidus, a Roman tribune, was deployed around Sepphoris, placing infantry inside the city as its guard and cavalry outside. When Josephus attacked, Placidus’s forces held the city, and Josephus failed both to capture it and to persuade its people to surrender. The cavalry’s movements and raids troubled Josephus and his men, helping provoke his march against the city. In the same campaign, Placidus failed to assault Jotapata and fled after his Romans were defeated.

At Mount Tabor, Placidus defeated the defenders after their water supply failed, receiving the surrender of the mountain and its people. Later, Vespasian sent him with five hundred horsemen and three thousand footmen against those who had fled from Gadara. Placidus captured Bethennabris, destroyed its defenders, plundered the houses, and burned the village; at the Jordan he defeated the fugitives, killing fifteen thousand and taking 2,200 prisoners. He then brought the cities and villages of Perea under Roman control, as far as Machaerus.