Editing Gordian II (section)

==Early life==
Born {{circa}} 192, Gordian II was the only known son of [[Gordian I]], who was said to be related to prominent senators.{{sfn|Birley|2005|p=340}} His praenomen and nomen ''Marcus Antonius'' suggest that his paternal ancestors received Roman citizenship under the triumvir [[Mark Antony]], or one of his daughters, during the late [[Roman Republic]].{{sfn|Birley|2005|p=340}} Gordian's cognomen "Gordianus" suggests that his family origins were from [[Anatolia]], especially [[Galatia]] and [[Cappadocia]].<ref>Peuch, Bernadette, "Orateurs et sophistes grecs dans les inscriptions d'époque impériale", (2002), pg. 128</ref>

According to the notoriously unreliable ''[[Historia Augusta]]'', his mother was a Roman woman called [[Fabia Orestilla]],<ref name="Historia Augusta, The Three Gordians, 17:4"/> born circa 165, who the ''Historia'' claims was a descendant of emperors [[Antoninus Pius]] and [[Marcus Aurelius]] through her father Fulvus Antoninus.<ref name="Historia Augusta, The Three Gordians, 17:4"/> Modern historians have dismissed this name and her information as false.{{sfn|Syme|1971|pp=100–101}} There is some evidence to suggest that Gordian's mother might have been the granddaughter of the Greek Sophist, consul and tutor [[Herodes Atticus]].{{sfn|Meckler|2001}} His younger sister was [[Maecia Faustina]], who was the mother of Emperor [[Gordian III]].

Although the memory of the Gordians would have been cherished by the Senate and thus appear sympathetic in any senatorial documentation of the period, the only account of Gordian's early career that has survived is contained within the ''Historia Augusta'', and it cannot be taken as an accurate or reliable description of his life story prior to his elevation to the purple in 238.{{sfn|Syme|1971|pp=1–16}} According to this source, Gordian served as [[quaestor]] in [[Elagabalus]]' reign<ref>Historia Augusta, ''The Three Gordians'', 18:4</ref> and as [[praetor]] and [[consul|consul suffect]] with Emperor [[Severus Alexander]].<ref>Historia Augusta, ''The Three Gordians'', 18:5</ref>{{sfn|Birley|2005|p=341. An inscription confirming this fact has been found at [[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]] in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]].}} In 237 or 238, Gordian went to the province of [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa Proconsularis]] as a [[legatus]] under his father, who served as [[proconsul]]ar governor.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Barnes|first=Timothy D.|date=September 1968|title=Philostratus and Gordian|journal=Latomus|volume=27|pages=587, 590}}</ref>