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[German version] [1] Daughter of Ti. Sempronius [I 15] Gracchus, 2nd cent. BC Daughter of Ti. Sempronius [I 15] Gracchus and Cornelia [I 1] (Plut., Ti. Gracchus 1,3), from 150 BC in a childless marriage with P. Cornelius [I 70] Scipio Aemilianus, for whose death in 129 BC she is supposed to have been partly to blame (App. B Civ. 1,20 (83); Liv. Per. 59). Despite the threatening demeanour of the people, in 102 or 101 BC she refused to acknowledge L. Equitius [1] as her nephew (Val. Max. 3,8,6). Franke, Thomas (Bochum) Bibliography R. A. Bauman, Women and Politics in Ancient Rome, 1994, 48-50. …

[German version] [1] Emperor, 3rd cent. AD Imp. Caes. M.O. (Antoninus) Diadumenianus, son of the emperor M.O. Macrinus, born on 14 or 19 September 208 AD (Cass. Dio 78,34,2; SHA Diad. 5,5). At the beginning of 217 he was given the title of clarissimus puer (CIL XV 7505), shortly afterwards he was also princeps iuventutis and nobilissimus Caesar (Cass. Dio 78,17,1; 19,1; Herodian. 5,4,12; Aur. Vict. Caes. 22,1; AE 1953,54; 1954,8; 1960,36; RIC IV, 2,22). In May 218, after the beginning of the mutiny of troops in Raphanaea in Syria, Macrinus made him Au…

[German version] Imperator Caesar C.P. Niger Iustus Augustus, Roman emperor AD 193-194, of Italian origin, born between AD 135 and 140 in Aquinum (?) (SHA Pesc. Nig. 1,3). P. initially completed the equestrian cursus honorum: he was praefectus cohortis during the reign of Marcus [2] Aurelius and served twice as tribunus militum under Commodus (SHA Pesc. Nig. 4,2; 4,4), who admitted him to the Praetorian guard ( adlectus inter praetorios). Between AD 180 and 183, P. held the office of consul ( cos. suff., Hdn. 2,7,4; [1. 138; 2. 138f.]) and may have proved his military ability …

[German version] Daughter of C.F. Sabinius Aquila Timesitheus, from AD 241 wife of  Gordianus [3] III, who installed her as Augusta shortly before his Persian War (SHA Gord. 23,5-6; Eutr. 9,2,2; Zos. 1,17; Zon. 12, 18 p. 129 D.; CIL VI 2114; 130). Franke, Thomas (Bochum) Bibliography PIR2 F 587 Kienast, 21996, 197.

[German version] I., who allegedly boasted of his descent from (Severus?) Alexander (Aur. Vict. Caes. 29,2), was proclaimed rival emperor to  Philippus Arabs in Cappadocia or Syria in AD 248/49 (Chron. min. 1, 521,38 Mommsen; Zos. 1,20,2; Aur. Vict. Caes. 29,2) and in September/October 249 he was killed by his soldiers (Zos. 1,21,2; RIC 4,3, 105). Franke, Thomas (Bochum) Bibliography PIR2 I 49 Kienast 2, 202 X. Loriot, Les premières années de la grande crise du IIIe siècle, in: ANRW II 2, 1975, 657-797, esp. 794.

[German version] Titus (?) Q. was a friend of the emperor Severus Alexander with consular rank. After the failed attempt at usurpation, directed against Maximinus [2] Thrax by Magnus [2] on the Rhine in AD 235, Q. was proclaimed rival emperor by eastern troops; however, only a little later he was murdered at the instigation of Macedo [2] (Hdn. 7,1,4-11; SHA Maximini duo 11,2; fictitious: SHA Tyr. Trig. 32). Franke, Thomas (Bochum) Bibliography Kienast 21996, 186 f.  X. Loriot, Les premières années de la grande crise du IIIe siècle: De l'avènement de Maximin le Thrace (235) à la mo…

[German version] [1] Imp. Caes. M. Antonius G. Sempronianus Romanus Africanus Aug. Augustus in Carthage AD 238 (G.I.), born in c. AD 159, the son of Maecius Marullus and Ulpia Gordiana (Hdn. 7,5,2; SHA Gord. 2,2; Zon. 12,17 p. 127 D.). After a successful cursus honorum (SHA Gord. 3,5-8; 4,1), he became suffect consul, probably under Elagabalus. In 216, he was governor in Britannia inferior (RIB 1, 1049), soon after in Achaea [2. 181ff.], perhaps also in Syria. In 237, he was allotted the proconsulate of the province of Africa [5; 6. 89f. N. 21]. In Thysdrus (modern El Djem, Tunesia…

[German version] M. was a Moor placed in charge of the grain supply in Egypt In the reign of Gallienus. Apparently he planned a coup. He was killed by soldiers on the orders of Theodotus ca. 262 AD, without having been proclaimed emperor (Zos. 1,38,1; Petrus Patricius, Excerpta de sententiis, p. 264 No. 160 Boissevain). PIR2 M 490. Franke, Thomas (Bochum)

[German version] C. Valens H. Messius Quintus was the younger son of emperor  Decius [II 1] and Herennia Etruscilla. In September AD 250, he was named Caesar and Princeps Iuventutis (AE 1942/43, 55; ILS 518) and, after the death of his father in June 251, adopted by  Trebonianus Gallus and raised to Augustus (Zos. 1,25,1; RIC 4,3, 143ff.), probably to distract from the complicity of Trebonianus in the deaths of his father and brother. Shortly after, he died in Rome of the plague (Aur. Vict. Caes. 30,1; [Aur. Vict.] epit. Ca…

[German version] The fictitious author Trebellius Pollio uses the term triginta tyranni (TT) in the Historia Augusta to refer to 32 usurpers from all parts of the empire supposedly in the period of the emperors Valerianus [2] and Gallienus (253-268) in order to expose their rule as particularly week and bad. He increased the number that was first planned to be 20 (SHA Gall. 21,1) to 30 as an allusion to the Athenian Thirty Tyrants ( triákonta ) (SHA Trig. tyr. 2-31), among them esp. derisively (31,7) two women, Zenobia from Palmyra (30) and Victoria in…

[German version] Term applied to a group of Roman rulers whose feature in common was the fact that they came from Illyrian territory, more broadly the area between the Adriatic and the lower Danube. The sequence already begins with  Decius [II 1] (AD 249-251) but essentially includes the emperors  Claudius [III 2] Gothicus,  Aurelianus [2],  Probus,  Diocletianus,  Maximianus, and  Constantinus [1] I. Even in antiquity these rulers were credited with having little education but they were acknowled…

[German version] Imp. Caes. C. Vibius T. Gallus Augustus (CIL XI 1927), Roman emperor from June AD 251 to August (?) AD 253. Born about 206 in Perusia, from a noble family (Aur. Vict. Epit. Caes. 31,1), Senator, cos. suff. c. AD 245 (Dexippus FGrH 100 F 22), governor of the province of Moesia inferior AD 250/1 [1. 103 f.]. At Novae[1], he successfully opposed the Goths (Goti) under their king Kniva (Iord. Get. 101 f.). Emperor Decius [II 1] escaped to him after being defeated by the Goths at Beroea[2]. Together they intended to cut off the Germans'…

[German version] P. Helvius P., Roman Emperor 31 Dec. 192-28 Mar. 193. Born 1 Aug. AD 126 in Alba Pompeia in Liguria (SHA Pert. 1,2; 15,6; Cass. Dio 73,3,1), son of a freedman. After being educated as a grammaticus , he applied for a position as centurio with the assistance of L. Hedius Lollianus [4] Avitus (SHA Pert. 1,5; (Ps.-)Aur. Vict. Epit. Caes. 18). He received the rank of an eques ( equites Romani D) with the support of Claudius [II 54] Pompeianus, which allowed him to pursue an equestrian career. Around AD 160, still in the reign of Antoninus [1] Pius, he served as praefectus cohortis …

[German version] Imperator Caesar M. Opellius Severus M. Augustus. Roman Emperor AD 217-218. Born in 164 (Cass. Dio 78,40,3) or 166 (Chron. pasch. I p. 498 D.) in Caesarea Mauretania, of humble origins (Cass. Dio 78,11,1; SHA Opilius Macrinus (= Macr.) 2,1). M. initially worked as a lawyer, then as procurator of the praef. praet. Fulvius [II 10] Plautianus, whose deposal he survived unharmed thanks to the intervention of L. Fabius [II 6] Cilo (Cass. Dio 78,11,2). Septimius Severus appointed him praefectus vehiculorum per Flaminiam (Cass. Dio 78,11,3), and in c. 208 keeper of the impe…

[German version] Imperator Caesar T. Fulvius Iunius Q. Pius Felix Augustus, younger son of Fulvius Macrianus [2], who served as a military tribune under Valerianus [2] (SHA Trig. Tyr. 12,10; Zon. 12,24 D.). Elevated together with his brother to Augustus by his father before 17 September, AD 260 (RIC 5,2,582 f.; SHA Gall. 1,3-5; SHA Tyr. Trig. 12,10-12), he stayed behind in the east with the praetorian prefect Ballista. After the defeat of his father and brother by Aureolus in Illyria, Q. was also captured in Emesa by its inhabitants in the autumn of AD 261 and killed there. Franke, Thomas (Bo…

[German version] Murdered the Palmyrene prince Odaenathus and his eldest son Herod in Emesa in AD 266/7 (SHA Tyr. Trig. 15,5; 17,1; SHA Gall. 13,1; different in Sync. I p. 717; Zon. 12,24 D.; Zos. 1,39,2). PIR2 M 71. Franke, Thomas (Bochum)

[German version] Imperator Caesar Ulp(ius) Cor(nelius) Laelianus (RIC V 2, 373 no. 8; [1. 66 no. 6]). Probably commander of the legio XXII Primigenia in Mogontiacum (Mainz) or governor of the province of Germania superior, rebelled early in AD 269 against Postumus and was proclaimed Augustus. Shortly afterwards Postumus defeated and killed him (Aur. Vict. Caes. 33,8; Eutr. 9,9; Iohannes Antiochenus fr. 152 FHG, here incorrectly ‘Lollianus’); according to another tradition (SHA Tyr. Trig. 4; 5; 6,3; 8,1), L. was murdered by Victorinus or by his own soldiers. Franke, Thomas (Bochum) Bib…

[German version] Imp. Caesar P. C[...] R. Augustus (RIC V/2, 586 f.; [1]). Governor in Illyricum, probably of Dacian descent. In AD 260, after the overthrow of Ingenuus [1] by Aureolus at Mursa, he was proclaimed anti-emperor to Gallienus by the Danube troops (SHA Tyr. Trig. 10,1; Ps.-Aur. Vict. Epit. Caes. 32,3; Aur. Vict. Caes. 33,2; Pol. Silv. Chronica minora 1,521,45). He fought the Sarmatae, who had already been threatening the lower Danube provinces for some time (SHA Tyr. Trig. 10,2). A sho…

[German version] The term SE was first [1. 13] used to describe the emperors "from the end of the reign of Commodus until the beginning of that of Diocletian" (AD 192-284), but today the Severan dynasty (AD 193-235; Septimius [II 7]) is generally kept separate (as already [2. 393-468]: Severans = military monarchy, subsequently military anarchy) and only the period from Maximinus [2] Thrax (235-238) to Diocletianus (284-305) is called the period of the SE or the "Crisis of the 3rd cent. AD." The t…

[German version] Imp. Caes. P. Licinius Egnatius G. Augustus, born c. AD 218 near Milan ([Aur. Vict.] epit. Caes. 33,3), son of the later emperor P. Licinius Valerianus and Egnatia Mariniana. Valerian, who had himself proclaimed emperor in September/October 253, immediately appointed G. Caesar, then Augustus, and had this confirmed by the Senate with a territorial allocation of responsibilities: Valerian went to the east to confront the Persian threat, G. went to the west to defend the Rhine and Danube bo…