CASSIUS, AVIDIUS (d. A.D. 175), Roman general, a Syrian by birth, lived during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. He distinguished himself during the Parthian War (A.D. 162-165), and was apparently appointed military governor of Asia, though the actual extent of his jurisdiction is doubtful. In 172 he was sent to Egypt, where he put down a rising of the Bucolici, the robber herdsmen of the delta, after which he returned to Syria. In 175 Aurelius fell ill, and his wife Faustina, to secure her posi tion in case of his death, offered her hand and the throne to Cas sius. A rumour of Aurelius's death having reached Syria, Cassius proclaimed himself emperor. The senate declared him a public enemy, and Aurelius set out for the east. While in Illyria, he received the news that Cassius had been slain by his own officers.