Aurelius, who had held imperium with Antoninus Pius, promoted his brother Lucius Verus to the purple; he selected Furius Victorinus to be Verus' pretorian prefect, and the man accompanied Verus to the Eastern provinces in 162. Victorinus distinguished himself in the Parthian War, receiving dona militaria in the form of "three Crowns, four headless spears, and four siege standards". In Spring 168, Victorinus was one of the generals leading Roman forces north against the Marcomanni, who were attempting to cross the Danube and invade Roman territory. It was at this point that the Historia Augusta reports cryptically, "The prefect Furius Victorinus was lost and the army had perished." Anthony Birley notes that while "it has been often assumed that the prefect and the troops had been killed in battle", he points out that there is no other indication that the guard under Victorinus had been engaged in fighting. "On the other hand," Birley continues, "the other sources paint a consistent picture of enormous losses from plague among the armies of Rome." So it is possible disease took Victorinus' life, as well as destroying the army. The war against the Marcomanni nevertheless continued. Marcus Bassaeus Rufus, who had recently been promoted to prefect of Egypt, was called back to Rome and put in place of the deceased Furius Victorinus, where he proved he was equal to the challenge. References Further reading Hans-Georg Pflaum, Les carrières procuratoriennes équestres sous le Haut-Empire romain (Paris, 1960), No. 139 2nd-century Romans 2nd-century Roman governors of Egypt Ancient Roman equites Roman governors of Egypt Praetorian prefects 168 deaths Year of birth unknown Victorinus, Titus