| Octavius Tarsus | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| First appearance | S2E07: Sacramentum | |
| Last appearance | S2E08: Balance | |
| Profession | Mercenary | |
| Race | Roman | |
| Relationships | Seppius (Employer, deceased) Gaius Claudius Glaber (Employer, deceased) Scout Leader (Mercenary, deceased) | |
| Status | Deceased (Killed by Mira) | |
| Actor/Actress | Aaron Jackson | |
Octavius Tarsus is the leader of Seppius' mercenaries.
Character Outline[]
Octavius is a mercenary, and leader of the militia led by Seppius. He was an above average build suited for a mercenary and wore a warrior attire, carrying a sword with him at all times.
Vengeance[]
Following Seppius' death, Octavius and his men are conscripted into the legion of Claudius Glaber.
Tarsus is killed by Mira.
He accompanies Glaber to the negotiation with Spartacus. The meeting is revealed to be ambush, as Ashur's Group were placed in the carriage, supposedly holding weapons. Despite his skill with the sword, he is bested by Spartacus and then shot dead with an arrow by Mira while chasing after the rebels.
Trivia[]
- Tarsus is the name of a city in Cilicia (south-eastern Turkey). Since 103 BCE, part of Cilicia, known as Cilicia Pedias, was a Roman province, the city of Tarsus lay within Tarsus Trachea, which remained free until it too was annexed by Pompey Magnus in 64 BCE. The Roman mercenary Octavius Tarsus may be from Cilicia Pedias.
- The Latin rendering of mercenary is Mercennarius.
- As a captain of mercenaries, Octavius Tarsus may have borne the title of Praefectus Cohortis (prefect of the cohort) or an equivalent office.
- The mercenary cohort under the command of Octavius Tarsus may have been styled upon a Cohors Equitata, which was a predominantly infantry unit with a significant cavalry sub-unit attached to augment its tactical prowess.
- Octavius may belong to the Gens Octavia, a Plebeian Roman clan descended from the Volsci tribe from the city of Velitrae in Latium. This gens would later rise to prominence, due to the future Gaius Octavius, the first recognized Emperor of Rome.