Category: Roman history
Vesontio (Besançon)
Vatican sarcophagi

In the Vatican Museums, one can admire a wonderful collection of early Christian sarcophagi. Most date from the fourth century CE. This was a crucial period in the history of Christianity. In the middle of the previous century Christians still suffered persecutions under the emperors Decius and Valerianus. Around the…
Area Sacra di Largo Argentina
The Gallo-Roman mausoleum of Faverolles
Roman firsts
Carus, Numerianus and Carinus: The Years 282-284
Probus: The Years 276-282
Tacitus, Florianus and Probus: The Years 275-276
Aurelianus: The Years 274-275

Now that Zenobia had been defeated and captured, Aurelianus could focus on the one remaining rebel in the West: Tetricus, ruler of the so-called ‘Gallic Empire’ (the name is a modern invention). In early 274, the army of Aurelianus met that of Tetricus in the vicinity of Durocatalaunum (modern Châlons).…
Aurelianus: The Years 271-273

Still in 271, while en route to the East to confront Zenobia, Aurelianus campaigned against marauding tribes that had once again broken through the Danube border. The not-so reliable Historia Augusta mentions campaigns in Illyricum (a generic term for the Balkans) and Thrace and even claims that the emperor fought…
Quintillus and Aurelianus: The Years 270-271

Claudius Gothicus was succeeded by his brother Quintillus. He was accepted by the Senate as Augustus, but the Senate had little real power in those days. Quintillus reigned long enough to mint coins, but the army was unhappy with the Senate’s choice and quickly presented its own candidate: Lucius Domitius…
Claudius Gothicus: The Years 268-270
Gallienus: The Years 260-268

Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus Augustus was now sole ruler of the vast Roman Empire, or rather: the sole legitimate ruler. Most western provinces were in the hands of Postumus, ruler of the ‘Gallic Empire’, while Gallienus soon had to deal with usurpers and rebels in the eastern provinces as well.…
Valerianus and Gallienus: The Years 253-260
Trebonianus Gallus: The Years 251-253
Decius: The Years 249-251
Philippus Arabs: The Years 244-249
Gordianus III: The Years 238-244
The Great Threat from the North: The Year 101 BCE

Summary The consul Manius Aquillius defeats Athenion and ends the Second Servile War on Sicily; The consul Gaius Marius and the proconsul Quintus Lutatius Catulus annihilate the Cimbri at the Battle of Vercellae; Marius and Catulus hold a joint triumph; Marius works together with Glaucia and Saturninus and is elected…