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Quintus Marcius Turbo was prefect of the Praetorian Guard and a close friend and military advisor to both emperor Trajan and Hadrian during the early 2nd century.
Approximately at the same time, large portions of the Jewish population in the Empire rose in Kitos War, uprisings taking place almost simultaneously in Judea, Egypt, Libya, Cyprus and parts of Mesopotamia. The grain supply from Egypt to Rome was threatened and with local authorities unable to quell the rebellion, Trajan sent Turbo, by then one of his best military men and closest confidants, to Egypt to deal with the situation. Turbo reestablished control over Egypt and eventually Cyprus. Turbo became the military Prefect of Egypt for several years while the province went through a process of rehabilitation.
In 117 Trajan died and was succeeded by his adopted son Hadrian. From the beginning of Hadrian's reign, Turbo was a close friend, adviser and confidant of Hadrian. After the Jewish revolt had been quelled, Turbo accompanied Hadrian to Mauretania in North Africa where they jointly led a military campaign against local rebels; later Hadrian left Turbo in control of the campaign. As another example of how much Hadrian trusted Turbo, he put Turbo in charge of two provinces in North Africa, Mauretania Caesariensis and Mauretania Tingitana.
After his tenure as governor, Turbo, at the request of Hadrian, accepted control of the Danubian Command, part of the Roman military's presence in the eastern area of the Empire near the Danube. Turbo was in charge of the Danubian Command till 123. Just after this appointment, unrest broke out in the Roman province of Roman 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.
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