Silius was probably a son of
Publius Silius Nerva. In AD 13, Silius was elected consul alongside
Lucius Munatius Plancus. At the end of his tenure in office, he was appointed
imperial legate of
Germania Superior, under the overall command of
Germanicus, and was the officer in charge of the four upper Rhine legions which did not mutiny upon the death of the emperor
Augustus. Once the mutiny was suppressed, Silius continued to serve loyally under Germanicus, participating in the
Roman retaliation campaign (between AD 14 and 16) against a Germanic alliance in the aftermath of the disaster at the
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. His successes earned him an honorary
triumph in AD 15. The following year, Germanicus sent Silius against the
Chatti with 30,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry, defeating them in the process, after which Tiberius appointed him as a taxation auditor in
Gaul. He continued in his role as governor of Upper Germany until 21, during which year he suppressed a revolt in Gaul. A faction of
Treveri, led by Julius
Florus and allied with the
Aeduan Julius Sacrovir, led a
rebellion of Gaulish debtors against the Romans. With two legions Silius defeated Sacrovir's rebel forces (numbering 40,000), twelve miles outside of
Augustodunum. Upon his return to Rome later that same year, Silius was soon caught in the political machinations at court as part of Germanicus' faction. In the
Senate,
Lucius Visellius Varro (consul in 24) accused Silius of being complicit in Sacrovir's revolt, and of misappropriating money from the provincial government in Gaul. Refusing to submit a plea or to defend himself, Silius declared that had he not personally kept the legions on the Rhine from avenging the murder of Germanicus, Tiberius would have lost his position as
Princeps. Faced with false witnesses swearing that he had robbed the Gallic provinces, Silius committed suicide in 24, and afterwards Galla was exiled. Silius had at least one son, also named
Gaius Silius. He may have owned the cups from
Hoby treasure. ==See also==