123. Just after this appointment, unrest broke out in the Roman province of Dacia. Turbo was immediately sent to Dacia and managed to stop any rebellion from materializing. Hadrian, in collaboration with Turbo, split Dacia into two regions in the hope of making the province more manageable and less rebellious. These two new regions were called Dacia Superior and Dacia Inferior. After his tenure as the leader of the Danubian command, Turbo went to Rome. Hadrian, famous for his long and extensive travels throughout the empire, realized that he needed a reliable representative in Rome while he was away. Therefore, in 125, Hadrian elevated Turbo to the position of Praetorian prefect, that is commander of the Praetorian Guard. He held this title until 134. It is at this point that no more records are found of him. It seems possible that Turbo, along with many others, fell out of favor with Hadrian later in his reign; however, it is also possible that Turbo died from natural causes. Significance and contemporary assessment Without a doubt Turbo had an illustrious career that was made all the more noteworthy because he was from Greece and not Italy. Up to this point in time, the high positions of the Roman government were still reserved for the men of noble and aristocratic families of Roman heritage. However, Turbo's life shows that the general trend inside of the aristocracy was towards a more egalitarian system where one's knowledge, skills and accomplishments were just as important as one's family and ancestors. The Roman historian Cassius Dio described Turbo as “loyal, assiduous and vigilant.” Bibliography Syme, Ronald. "Guard Prefects of Trajan and Hadrian", Journal of Roman Studies, 70 (1980), pp. 64–80. Smallwood, Mary E. Palestine A.D. 115-118, 4th ed. Vol. 11. Franz Steiner Verlag. 500–10. Syme, Ronald. "The Wrong Marcius Turbo", Journal of Roman Studies, 51 (1962), pp. 87–96. Wade, Donald W. "Some Governors of Dacia: A Rearrangement," Classical Philology, 64 (1969), pp. 105–107. "Trajan (c. 53-117)." DISCovering Biography. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. Sacred Heart Preparatory (BAISL). 26 Nov. 2008 http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS "Hadrian, Emperor of Rome (76-138)." DISCovering World History. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. Sacred Heart Preparatory (BAISL). 26 Nov. 2008 <http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>. References 1st-century births 130s deaths People from Epidaurus Praetorian prefects Roman governors of Mauretania Tingitana Roman governors of Dacia 1st-century Romans 2nd-century Romans