Antoninus Pius –
Roman Emperor: 138-161 A.D.
Bronze 18mm (4.04 grams) of
Ephesus
in
Ionia
Reference: SNG Copenhagen 395
Laureate head of Antoninus Pius right.
ЄΦЄCЄΩN, wild Calydonian boar running right,
pierced by spear which broke underneath him.
You are bidding on the exact
item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime
Guarantee of Authenticity.
The Calydonian Boar is one of the monsters of
Greek mythology
that had to be overcome by
heroes of the Olympian age. Sent by
Artemis
to ravage the region of
Calydon
in
Aetolia
because its king failed to honor her in
his rites to the gods, it was killed in the Calydonian Hunt, in which
many male heroes took part, but also a powerful woman,
Atalanta
, who won its hide by first wounding it
with an arrow. This outraged some of the men, with tragic results.
Strabo
was under the impression that the
Calydonian Boar was an offspring of the
Crommyonian Sow
vanquished by
Theseus
.
The Calydonian Hunt shown on a Roman frieze (Ashmolean
Museum,
Oxford
)
Importance in Greek mythology and art
The Calydonian Boar is one of the
chthonic
monsters in Greek mythology, each set
in a specific locale. Sent by Artemis to ravage the region of Calydon in
Aetolia
, it met its end in the Calydonian
Hunt, in which all the heroes of the new age pressed to take part, with the
exception of Heracles
, who vanquished his own Goddess-sent
Erymanthian Boar
separately. Since the mythic
event drew together numerous heroes—among whom were many who were venerated as
progenitors of their local ruling houses among tribal groups of
Hellenes
into Classical times—the Calydonian
Boar hunt offered a natural subject in classical art, for it was redolent with
the web of myth that gathered around its protagonists on other occasions, around
their half-divine descent and their offspring. Like the quest for the
Golden Fleece
(Argonautica)
or the Trojan War
that took place the following
generation, the Calydonian Hunt is one of the nodes in which much Greek myth
comes together.
Tondo of a
Laconian
black-figure cup
by the
Naucratis Painter
, ca. 555 BCE (Louvre)
Both Homer
and
Hesiod
and their listeners were aware of the
details of this myth, but no surviving complete account exists: some
papyrus
fragments found at
Oxyrhynchus
are all that survive of
Stesichorus
‘ telling; the myth repertory called
Bibliotheke
(“The Library”) contains the
gist of the tale, and before that was compiled the Roman poet Ovid told the
story in some colorful detail in his
Metamorphoses
.
Hunt
King Oeneus
(“wine man”) of
Calydon
, an ancient city of west-central
Greece
north of the
Gulf of Patras
, held annual harvest sacrifices
to the gods on the sacred hill. One year the king forgot to include Great “Artemis
of the Golden Throne” in his offerings Insulted, Artemis, the “Lady of the Bow”,
loosed the biggest, most ferocious boar imaginable on the countryside of
Calydon. It rampaged throughout the countryside, destroying vineyards and crops,
forcing people to take refuge inside the city walls (Ovid), where they began to
starve.
Oeneus sent messengers out to look for the best hunters in Greece, offering
them the boar’s pelt and tusks as a prize.
Roman marble sarcophagus from
Vicovaro
, carved with the Calydonian Hunt (Palazzo
dei Conservatori, Rome))
Meleager et Atalanta, after
Giulio Romano
.
Among those who responded were some of the
Argonauts
, Oeneus’ own son
Meleager
, and, remarkably for the Hunt’s
eventual success, one woman— the huntress
Atalanta
, the “indomitable”, who had been
suckled by Artemis as a she-bear and raised as a huntress, a proxy for Artemis
herself (Kerenyi; Ruck and Staples). Artemis appears to have been divided in her
motives, for it was also said that she had sent the young huntress because she
knew her presence would be a source of division, and so it was: many of the men,
led by Kepheus and Ankaios, refused to hunt alongside a woman. It was the
smitten Meleager who convinced them. Nonetheless it was Atalanta who first
succeeded in wounding the boar with an arrow, although Meleager finished it off,
and offered the prize to Atalanta, who had drawn first blood. But the sons of
Thestios, who considered it disgraceful that a woman should get the trophy where
men were involved, took the skin from her, saying that it was properly theirs by
right of birth, if Meleagros chose not to accept it. Outraged by this, Meleagros
slew the sons of Thestios and again gave the skin to Atalanta (Bibliotheke).
Meleager’s mother, sister of Meleager’s slain uncles, took the fatal brand from
the chest where she had kept it (see
Meleager
) and threw it once more on the fire;
as it was consumed, Meleager died on the spot, as the Fates had foretold. Thus
Artemis achieved her revenge against King Oeneus.
Woodcut illustration for
Raphael Regius
‘s edition of
Metamorphoses
,
Venice
, ca. 1518
During the hunt, Peleus
accidentally killed his host Eurytion.
In the course of the hunt and its aftermath, many of the hunters turned upon one
another, contesting the spoils, and so the Goddess continued to be revenged (Kerenyi,
114): “But the goddess again made a great stir of anger and crying battle, over
the head of the boar and the bristling boar’s hide, between
Kouretes
and the high-hearted
Aitolians
” (Homer,
Iliad
, ix.543).
The boar’s hide that was preserved in the Temple of
Athena Alae
at
Tegea
in
Laconia
was reputedly that of the Calydonian
Boar, “rotted by age and by now altogether without bristles” by the time
Pausanias
saw it in the second century CE. He
noted that the tusks had been taken to Rome as booty from the defeated allies of
Mark Anthony
by
Augustus
; “one of the tusks of the Calydonian
boar has been broken”, Pausanias reports, “but the remaining one, having a
circumference of about half a fathom, was dedicated in the Emperor’s gardens, in
a shrine of Dionysos”. The Calydonian Hunt was the theme of the temple’s main
pediment.
Ephesusus (Ancient
Greek Ἔφεσος,
Turkish
Efes) was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of
Anatolia
, near
present-day
Selçuk
,
Izmir Province
,
Turkey
. It was
one of the twelve cities of the
Ionian League
during the
Classical Greek
era. In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the
Roman Empire
;
ranking behind
Rome
, the
empire’s capital. Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st
century BC, which also made it the second largest city in the world.
The city was famed for the
Temple of Artemis
(completed around 550 BCE), one of the
Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World
. The Temple was destroyed in 401 CE by a mob led by St.
John Chrysostom
.
Emperor
Constantine I
rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths. The town was again
partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614. The city’s importance as a
commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the
Cayster River
(Küçük Menderes).
Ephesus was one of the
seven churches of Asia
that are cited in the
Book of Revelation
.
The
Gospel of John
may have been written here. It is also the site of a large
gladiators
‘
graveyard.
Today’s archaeological site lies 3 kilometers southwest of the town of
Selçuk
, in the
Selçuk district of
İzmir Province
,
Turkey
. The
ruins
of
Ephesus are a favorite international and local tourist attraction, partly owing
to their easy access from
Adnan Menderes Airport
and via the port of
Kuşadası
.
The city of Ephesus itself was founded as an Attic-Ionian colony in
the 10th century BCE on the Ayasuluk Hill, three kilometers from the center of
antique Ephesus (as attested by excavations at the
Seljuk
castle
during the 1990s). The mythical founder of the city was a prince of
Athens
named
Androklos
, who
had to leave his country after the death of his father, King Kadros. According
to legend, he founded Ephesus on the place where the oracle of
Delphi
became
reality (“A fish and a boar will show you the way”). Androklos drove away most
of the native
Carian
and
Lelegian
inhabitants of the city and united his people with the remainder. He was a
successful warrior and, as king, he was able to join the twelve cities of
Ionia
together
into the
Ionian League
.
During his reign the city began to prosper. He died in a battle against the
Carians when he came to the aid of
Priene
,
another city of the Ionian League.[10]
Androklos and his dog are depicted on the Hadrian temple frieze, dating from the
second century.
Classical period
Ephesus continued to prosper. But when taxes continued to be raised under
Cambyses II
and
Darius
, the
Ephesians participated in the
Ionian Revolt
against Persian rule in the
Battle of Ephesus (498
BCE)
, an event which instigated the
Greco-Persian wars
.
In 479 BCE, the Ionians, together with
Athens
and
Sparta
, were
able to oust the Persians from Anatolia. In 478 BCE, the Ionian cities entered
with Athens and Sparta into the
Delian League
against the Persians. Ephesus did not contribute ships but gave financial
support by offering the treasure of
Apollo
to the
goddess
Athena
,
protectress of Athens.
Hellenistic period
When
Alexander the Great
defeated the Persian forces at the
Battle of Granicus
in 334 BCE, the Greek cities of Asia Minor were liberated. The pro-Persian
tyrant Syrpax and his family were stoned to death, and Alexander was greeted
warmly when he entered Ephesus in triumph. When Alexander saw that the temple of
Artemis was not yet finished, he proposed to finance it and have his name
inscribed on the front. But the inhabitants of Ephesus demurred, claiming that
it was not fitting for one god to build a temple to another. After Alexander’s
death in 323 BCE, Ephesus in 290 BCE came under the rule of one of Alexander’s
generals,
Lysimachus
As the river
Cayster
silted
up the harbor, the resulting marshes caused malaria and many deaths among the
inhabitants. The people of Ephesus were forced to move to a new settlement two
kilometers further on, when the king flooded the old city by blocking the
sewers. This settlement was called after the king’s second wife,
Arsinoe II of Egypt
.
After
Lysimachus
had
destroyed the nearby cities of
Lebedos
and
Colophon
in
292 BCE, he relocated their inhabitants to the new city. The architectural
layout of the city would remain unchanged for the next 500 years.
Ephesus revolted after the treacherous death of
Agathocles
,
giving the Syrian king
Seleucus I Nicator
an opportunity for removing and killing Lysimachus, his last rival, at the
Battle of Corupedium
in 281 BCE. After the death of Lysimachos the town took again the name of
Ephesus.
Thus Ephese became part of the
Seleucid Empire
.
After the murder of king
Antiochus II Theos
and his Egyptian wife, pharaoh
Ptolemy III
invaded the Seleucid Empire and the Egyptian fleet swept the coast of Asia
Minor. Ephesus came under Egyptian rule between 263-197 BCE.
Titus Aurelius relius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus (19 September 86 – 7
March 161), generally known in English as Antoninus Pius was
Roman emperor
from 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the
Five Good Emperors
and a member of the
Aurelii
. He
did not possess the
sobriquet
“Pius” until after
his accession to the throne. Almost certainly, he earned the name “Pius” because
he compelled the
Senate
to deify his adoptive father
Hadrian
; the
Historia Augusta
, however, suggests that he may have earned the name by
saving senators sentenced to death by Hadrian in his later years.
//
He was the son and only child of
Titus Aurelius Fulvus
,
consul
in 89
whose family came from
Nemausus
(modern Nîmes
)
and was born near
Lanuvium
and his mother was Arria Fadilla. Antoninus’ father and paternal grandfather
died when he was young and he was raised by
Gnaeus Arrius Antoninus
, his maternal grandfather, a man of integrity and
culture and a friend of
Pliny the Younger
. His mother married to Publius Julius Lupus (a man of
consular rank),
Suffect
Consul
in 98, and bore him a daughter called Julia Fadilla.
As a private citizen between 110 and 115, he married Annia Galeria
Faustina the Elder
. They had a very happy marriage. She was the daughter of
consul
Marcus Annius Verus
and
Rupilia
Faustina (a half-sister to Roman Empress
Vibia
Sabina
). Faustina was a beautiful woman, renowned for her wisdom. She spent
her whole life caring for the poor and assisting the most disadvantaged Romans.
Having filled with more than usual success the offices of
quaestor
and praetor
,
he obtained the consulship in 120; he was next appointed by the Emperor
Hadrian
as
one of the four
proconsuls
to administer
Italia
, then greatly increased his reputation by his conduct as
proconsul
of
Asia
. He acquired much favor with the Emperor Hadrian, who adopted him as
his son and successor on 25 February, 138, after the death of his first adopted
son Lucius Aelius
, on the condition that Antoninus would in turn adopt Marcus
Annius Verus, the son of his wife’s brother, and Lucius, son of Aelius Verus,
who afterwards became the emperors
Marcus Aurelius
and
Lucius
Verus
(colleague of Marcus Aurelius).
Emperor
On his accession, Antoninus’ name became “Imperator Caesar Titus Aelius
Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pontifex Maximus”. One of his first acts as Emperor
was to persuade the
Senate
to grant divine honours to Hadrian, which they had at first refused; his efforts
to persuade the Senate to grant these honours is the most likely reason given
for his title of Pius (dutiful in affection; compare
pietas
). Two other reasons for this title are that he would support his
aged father-in-law with his hand at Senate meetings, and that he had saved those
men that Hadrian, during his period of ill-health, had condemned to death. He
built temples, theaters, and mausoleums, promoted the arts and sciences, and
bestowed honours and financial rewards upon the teachers of
rhetoric
and philosophy
.
In marked contrast to his predecessors
Trajan
and
Hadrian
,
Antoninus was not a military man. One modern scholar has written “It is almost
certain not only that at no time in his life did he ever see, let alone command,
a Roman army, but that, throughout the twenty-three years of his reign, he never
went within five hundred miles of a legion”.[2]
His reign was the most peaceful in the entire history of the
Principate
;
while there were several military disturbances throughout the Empire in his
time, in Mauretania
,
Iudaea
, and amongst the
Brigantes
in Britannia
, none of them are considered serious. The unrest in Britannia is
believed to have led to the construction of the
Antonine Wall
from the
Firth of Forth
to the
Firth of Clyde
, although it was soon abandoned. He was virtually unique
among emperors in that he dealt with these crises without leaving Italy once
during his reign, but instead dealt with provincial matters of war and peace
through their governors or through imperial letters to the cities such as
Ephesus (of which some were publicly displayed). This style of government was
highly praised by his contemporaries and by later generations.
Of the public transactions of this period we have scant information, but, to
judge by what we possess, those twenty-two years were not remarkably eventful in
comparison to those before and after his; the surviving evidence is not complete
enough to determine whether we should interpret, with older scholars, that he
wisely curtailed the activities of the Roman Empire to a careful minimum, or
perhaps that he was uninterested in events away from Rome and
Italy
and his
inaction contributed to the pressing troubles that faced not only Marcus
Aurelius but also the emperors of the third century. German historian Ernst
Kornemann has had it in his Römische Geschichte [2 vols., ed. by H. Bengtson,
Stuttgart 1954] that the reign of Antoninus comprised “a succession of grossly
wasted opportunities,” given the upheavals that were to come. There is more to
this argument, given that the Parthians in the East were themselves soon to make
no small amount of mischief after Antoninus’ passing. Kornemann’s brief is that
Antoninus might have waged preventive wars to head off these outsiders.
Scholars place Antoninus Pius as the leading candidate for fulfilling the
role as a friend of Rabbi
Judah
the Prince
. According to the
Talmud
(Avodah
Zarah 10a-b), Rabbi Judah was very wealthy and greatly revered in Rome. He had a
close friendship with “Antoninus”, possibly Antoninus Pius,
who would consult Rabbi Judah on various worldly and spiritual matters.
After the longest reign since Augustus (surpassing
Tiberius
by
a couple of months), Antoninus died of fever at
Lorium
in
Etruria
,
about twelve miles (19 km) from Rome, on 7 March 161, giving the keynote to his
life in the last word that he uttered when the
tribune
of
the night-watch came to ask the password—”aequanimitas” (equanimity). His body
was placed in
Hadrian’s mausoleum
, a
column
was dedicated to him on the
Campus Martius
, and the
temple
he had built in the Forum in 141 to his deified wife Faustina was
rededicated to the deified Faustina and the deified Antoninus.
Historiography
The only account of his life handed down to us is that of the
Augustan History
, an unreliable and mostly fabricated work. Antoninus is
unique among Roman emperors in that he has no other biographies. Historians have
therefore turned to public records for what details we know.
In
later scholarship
Antoninus in many ways was the ideal of the landed gentleman
The Principate
Julio-Claudian
dynasty
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
16 January 27 BC to 19 August AD 14
|
Augustus
|
|
19 August 14 to 16 March 37
|
Tiberius
|
|
18 March 37 to 24 January 41
|
Caligula
|
Murdered by Praetorian Guard
|
24 January 41 to 13 October 54
|
Claudius
|
Poisoned by his wife Agrippina, mother of Nero
|
13 October 54 to 11 June 68
|
Nero
|
Made a slave kill him
|
Year
of the Four Emperors (Civil War)
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
8 June 68 to 15 January 69
|
Galba
|
Murdered in favour of
Otho
|
15 January 69 to 16 April 69
|
Otho
|
Committed suicide
|
2 January 69 to 20 December 69
|
Vitellius
|
Murdered in favour of
Vespasian
|
Flavian
dynasty
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
1 July 69 to 24 June 79
|
Vespasian
|
|
24 June 79 to 13 September 81
|
Titus
|
Possibly assassinated by Domitian
|
14 September 81 to 18 September 96
|
Domitian
|
Assassinated
|
Nervan-Antonian
dynasty
Main article:
Five Good Emperors
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
18 September 96 to 27 January 98
|
Nerva
|
Proclaimed emperor by senate
|
28 January 98 to 7 August 117
|
Trajan
|
|
11 August 117 to 10 July 138
|
Hadrian
|
|
10 July 138 to 7 March 161
|
Antoninus Pius
|
|
7 March 161 to 17 March 180
|
Marcus Aurelius
|
|
7 March 161 to March 169
|
Lucius Verus
|
Co-emperor with
Marcus Aurelius
|
175
|
Avidius Cassius
|
Usurper; ruled in Egypt and Syria; murdered by his own army
|
177 to 31 December 192
|
Commodus
|
Assassinated
|
Year
of the Five Emperors &
Severan dynasty
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
1 January 193 to 28 March 193
|
Pertinax
|
Proclaimed emperor by senate; murdered by Praetorian Guard
|
28 March 193 to 1 June 193
|
Didius Julianus
|
Proclaimed emperor by Praetorian Guard; executed on orders of the Senate
|
9 April 193 to 4 February 211
|
Septimius Severus
|
Proclaimed emperor by
Pannonian
troops; accepted by
senate
|
193 to 194/195
|
Pescennius Niger
|
Proclaimed emperor by Syrian troops, defeated in battle by
Septimius Severus
|
193/195 to 197
|
Clodius Albinus
|
Proclaimed emperor by British troops, defeated in battle by
Septimius Severus
|
198 to 8 April 217
|
Caracalla
|
Assassinated at the behest of
Macrinus
|
209 to 4 February 211
|
Geta
|
Co-emperor with
Caracalla
; assassinated on orders
of
Caracalla
|
11 April 217 to June 218
|
Macrinus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor; executed on orders of
Elagabalus
|
May 217 to June 218
|
Diadumenian
|
Junior co-emperor under
Macrinus
; executed
|
June 218 to 222
|
Elagabalus
|
Proclaimed emperor by army; murdered by his own troops
|
13 March 222 to ?March 235
|
Alexander Severus
|
Murdered by his own troops
|
Rulers during the
Crisis of the Third Century
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
February/March 235 to March/April 238
|
Maximinus Thrax
|
Proclaimed emperor by the army; murdered by
Praetorian Guard
|
earlyJanuary/March
238 to lateJanuary/April 238
|
Gordian I
|
Proclaimed emperor in Africa; committed suicide after
Gordian II
‘s death
|
earlyJanuary
March 238 to lateJanuary/April 238
|
Gordian II
|
Proclaimed emperor with
Gordian I
, killed in battle
|
earlyFebruary
238 to earlyMay 238
|
Pupienus
|
Proclaimed joint emperor by senate; murdered by
Praetorian Guard
|
earlyFebruary
238 to earlyMay 238
|
Balbinus
|
Proclaimed joint emperor by senate; murdered by
Praetorian Guard
|
May 238 to February 244
|
Gordian III
|
Nephew of
Gordian II
; death unclear,
probably murdered
|
240
|
Sabinianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor; defeated in battle
|
February 244 to September/October 249
|
Philip the Arab
|
Proclaimed emperor after death of
Gordian III
; killed in battle by
Decius
|
248
|
Pacatianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor; murdered by his own soldiers
|
248 to 249
|
Iotapianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor in the east; murdered by his own
soldiers
|
248? or 253?
|
Silbannacus
|
Usurper; details essentially unknown
|
249 to June 251
|
Decius
|
Killed in battle
|
249 to 252
|
Priscus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor in the east in opposition to
Decius
|
250 to 250
|
Licinianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in Rome; rebellion suppressed
|
early251
to June 251
|
Herennius Etruscus
|
Junior co-emperor under
Decius
; killed in battle
|
251
|
Hostilian
|
Son of
Decius
; died of plague
|
June 251 to August 253
|
Gallus
|
Proclaimed emperor by his troops after Decius’s death; murdered by them
in favour of Aemilianus
|
July 251 to August 253
|
Volusianus
|
Junior co-emperor under
Gallus
; murdered by army
|
August 253 to October 253
|
Aemilian
|
Proclaimed emperor by his troops; murdered by them in favour of
Valerian
|
253 to June 260
|
Valerian
|
Proclaimed emperor by his troops; captured in battle by the
Persians
; died in captivity
|
253 to September 268
|
Gallienus
|
Junior co-emperor under
Valerian
to 260; probably murdered
by his generals
|
260
|
Saloninus
|
Son of
Gallienus
; proclaimed emperor by
army; murdered shortly after by troops of
Postumus
|
June 260 (or 258)
|
Ingenuus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor after
Valerian
‘s capture; defeated in
battle
|
260
|
Regalianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor after
Ingenuus
‘s defeat; fate unclear
|
260 to 261
|
Macrianus Major
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by eastern army; defeated and killed in
battle
|
260 to 261
|
Macrianus Minor
|
Usurper; son of
Macrianus Major
; defeated and
killed in battle
|
260 to 261
|
Quietus
|
Usurper; son of
Macrianus Major
; defeated and
killed in battle
|
261 to 261 or 262
|
Mussius Aemilianus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor after the defeat of the Macriani;
defeated and executed
|
268 to 268
|
Aureolus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor after
Gallienus
‘s death; surrendered to
Claudius II Gothicus
; murdered by
Praetorian Guard
|
268 to August 270
|
Claudius II Gothicus
|
Proclaimed emperor by the army
|
August 270 to September 270
|
Quintillus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor; cause of death unclear
|
August 270 to 275
|
Aurelian
|
Proclaimed emperor by army; murdered by the
Praetorian Guard
|
271 to 271
|
Septimius
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in
Dalmatia
; killed by his own
soldiers
|
November/December 275 to July 276
|
Tacitus
|
Appointed emperor by the Senate; possibly assassinated
|
July 276 to September 276
|
Florianus
|
Brother of
Tacitus
, proclaimed emperor by the
western army; murdered by his troops
|
July 276 to lateSeptember 282
|
Probus
|
Proclaimed emperor by the eastern army; murdered by his own soldiers in
favour of
Carus
|
280
|
Julius Saturninus
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by his troops; then killed by them
|
280
|
Proculus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor at the request of the people of
Lugdunum
; executed by
Probus
|
280
|
Bonosus
|
Usurper; proclaimed himself emperor; defeated by
Probus
and committed suicide
|
September 282 to July/August 283
|
Carus
|
Proclaimed emperor by Praetorian guard
|
spring 283 to summer 285
|
Carinus
|
Son of Carus; co-emperor with
Numerian
; fate unclear
|
July/August 283 to November 284
|
Numerian
|
Son of Carus; co-emperor with
Carinus
; probably murdered
|
Gallic
Empire
260
to 274
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
260 to 268
|
Postumus
|
Declared himself emperor after
Valerian
‘s death; killed by his
own troops
|
268 to 268
|
Laelianus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor in opposition to Postumus; defeated and
killed by Postumus
|
269 to 269
|
Marius
|
Proclaimed himself emperor after Postumus’s death
|
269 to 271
|
Victorinus
|
Proclaimed emperor after Marius’s death
|
270 to 271
|
Domitianus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor of the
Gallic Empire
|
271 to 274
|
Tetricus I
|
Nominated heir to Victorinus
|
Britannic
Empire
286
to 297
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
286 to 293
|
Carausius
|
Declared himself emperor; assassinated by
Allectus
|
293 to 297
|
Allectus
|
Declared himself emperor after
Carausius
‘s death; defeated by
Constantius Chlorus
|
Dominate
Tetrarchy
and
Constantinian dynasty
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
20 November 284 to 1 May 305
|
Diocletian
|
Declared emperor by the army after Numerian’s death; Abdicated
|
1 April 286 to 1 May 305
|
Maximian
|
Made co-emperor (‘Augustus’) with
Diocletian
; abdicated
|
1 May 305 to 25 July 306
|
Constantius I Chlorus
|
Made junior co-emperor (‘Caesar’) under
Maximian
; became Augustus after
his abdication
|
1 May 305 to May 311
|
Galerius
|
Made junior co-emperor (‘Caesar’) under
Diocletian
; became Augustus after
his abdication
|
August 306 to 16 September 307
|
Severus II
|
Made junior co-emperor (‘Caesar’) under
Constantius Chlorus
; became
Augustus after his death; executed by
Maxentius
|
28 October 306 to 28 October 312
|
Maxentius
|
Son of
Maximian
; proclaimed Augustus by
Praetorian Guard
; defeated in
battle by
Constantine I
|
de jure:
307, de facto 312 to 22 May 337
|
Constantine I
|
Son of
Constantius Chlorus
; proclaimed
Augustus by army
|
308
–309?/311?
|
Domitius Alexander
|
Proclaimed emperor in Africa; defeated in battle by
Maxentius
|
11 November 308 to 18 September 324
|
Licinius
|
Appointed Augustus by
Galerius
; deposed by
Constantine I
and executed
|
1 May 311 to July/August 313
|
Maximinus Daia
|
Made junior co-emperor (‘Caesar’) under
Galerius
; became Augustus after
his death; defeated in battle by Licinius and committed suicide
|
December 316 to 1 March 317
|
Valerius Valens
|
Appointed co-Augustus by
Licinius
; executed by
Licinius
|
July to 18 September 324
|
Martinianus
|
Appointed co-Augustus by
Licinius
; deposed by
Constantine I
and executed
|
337 to 340
|
Constantine II
|
Son of
Constantine I
; co-emperor with his
brothers; killed in battle
|
337 to 361
|
Constantius II
|
Son of
Constantine I
; co-emperor with his
brothers
|
337 to 350
|
Constans I
|
Son of
Constantine I
; co-emperor with his
brothers, killed by
Magnentius
|
January 350 to 11 August 353
|
Magnentius
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by the army; defeated by
Constantius II
and committed
suicide
|
c.
350
|
Vetranio
|
Proclaimed himself emperor against
Magnentius
; recognized by
Constantius II
but then deposed
|
c.
350
|
Nepotianus
|
Proclaimed himself emperor against
Magnentius
, defeated and executed
by
Magnentius
|
November 361 to June 363
|
Julian
|
Cousin of
Constantius II
; made Caesar by
Constantius, then proclaimed Augustus by the army; killed in battle
|
363 to 17 February 364
|
Jovian
|
Proclaimed emperor by the army after
Julian
‘s death
|
Valentinian
dynasty
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
26 February 364 to 17 November 375
|
Valentinian I
Valentinian I Coins.htm
|
Proclaimed emperor by the army after
Jovian
‘s death
|
28 March 365 to 9 August 378
|
Valens
|
Made co-emperor in the east by his brother
Valentinian I
; killed in battle
|
September 365 to 27 May 366
|
Procopius
|
Usurper; Proclaimed himself emperor; defeated and executed by
Valens
|
24 August 367 to 383
|
Gratian
Gratian Coins.htm
|
Son of
Valentinian I
; assassinated
|
375 to 392
|
Valentinian II
Valentinian II Coins.htm
|
Son of
Valentinian I
; deposed by
Arbogast
and died in suspicious
circumstances
|
383 to 388
|
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus Coins.htm
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by troops; at one time recognized by
Theodosius I
, but then deposed and
executed
|
c.386
to 388
|
Flavius Victor
Flavius Victor Coins.htm
|
Son of Magnus Maximus, executed on orders of
Theodosius I
|
392 to 394
|
Eugenius
Eugenius Coins.htm
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor by army under
Arbogast
; defeated in battle by
Theodosius I
|
Theodosian
dynasty
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
379 to 17 January 395
|
Theodosius I
Theodosius I Coins.htm
|
Made co-emperor for the east by
Gratian
|
383 to 408
EAST
|
Arcadius
Arcadius Coins.htm
|
Appointed co-emperor with his father
Theodosius I
; sole emperor for the
east from January 395
|
23 January 393 to 15 August 423
WEST
|
Honorius
Honorius Coins.htm
|
Appointed Augustus for the west by his father
Theodosius I
|
407 to 411
WEST
|
Constantine III
Constantine III Coins.htm
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in Britain; defeated by
Constantius III
|
409 to 411
WEST
|
Constans II
Constans II Coins.htm
|
Usurper; made emperor by his father
Constantine III
; killed in battle
|
409 and 414 to 415
WEST
|
Priscus Attalus
Priscus Attalus Coins.htm
|
Usurper; twice proclaimed emperor by
Visigoths
under
Alaric
and twice deposed by
Honorius
|
409 to 411
WEST
|
Maximus
Maximus Coins.htm
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor in Spain; abdicated
|
411 to 413
WEST
|
Jovinus
Jovinus Coins.htm
|
Usurper; proclaimed emperor after
Constantine III
‘s death, executed
by
Honorius
|
412 to 413
WEST
|
Sebastianus
Sebastianus Coins.htm
|
Usurper; appointed co-emperor by
Jovinus
, executed by
Honorius
|
408 to 450
EAST
|
Theodosius II
Theodosius II Coins.htm
|
Son of
Arcadius
|
421 to 421
WEST
|
Constantius III
Constantius III Coins.htm
|
Son-in-law of
Theodosius I
; appointed co-emperor
by
Honorius
|
423 to 425
WEST
|
Joannes
Johannes Coins.htm
|
Proclaimed western emperor, initially undisputed; defeated and executed
by
Theodosius II
in favour of
Valentinian III
|
425 to 16 March 455
WEST
|
Valentinian III
Valentinian III Coins.htm
|
Son of
Constantius III
; appointed emperor
by
Theodosius II
; assassinated
|
Western
Roman Empire
Reign
|
Incumbent
|
Notes
|
17 March 455 to 31 May 455
|
Petronius Maximus
Petronius Maximus Coins.htm
|
Proclaimed himself emperor after
Valentinian III
‘s death; murdered
|
June 455 to 17 October 456
|
Avitus
Avitus Coins.htm
|
Proclaimed emperor by the
Visigoth
king
Theoderic II
; deposed by
Ricimer
|
457 to 2 August 461
|
Majorian
Majorian Coins.htm
|
Appointed by
Ricimer
; deposed and executed by
Ricimer
|
461 to 465
|
Libius Severus
Libius Severus Coins.htm
|
Appointed by
Ricimer
; deposed and executed by
Ricimer
|
12 April 467 to 11 July 472
|
Anthemius
Anthemius Coins.htm
|
Appointed by
Ricimer
; deposed and executed by
Ricimer
|
July 472 to 2 November 472
|
Olybrius
Olybrius Coins.htm
|
Appointed by
Ricimer
|
5 March 473 to June 474
|
Glycerius
Glycerius Coins.htm
|
Appointed by
Gundobad
; deposed by
Julius Nepos
|
June 474 to 25 April 480
|
Julius Nepos
Julius Nepos Coins.htm
|
Appointed by eastern emperor
Leo I
; deposed in Italy by
Orestes
in 475; continued to be
recognised as lawful emperor in Gaul and Dalmatia until his murder in
480
|
31 October 475 to 4 September 476
|
Romulus Augustus
(Romulus
Augustulus)
Romulus Augustus Coins.htm
|
Son of
Orestes
; deposed by
Odoacer
; fate unknown
|
Further information:
Barbarian kings of Italy
Eastern
Roman Empire
-
For
the rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the
Byzantine Empire
) after
Theodosius II
, see:
List of Byzantine Emperors
Theodosian dynasty (395–457)
See also:
Theodosian dynasty
Name |
Reign |
Comments |
|
Theodosius I “the Great”
(Θεοδόσιος Α’ ο Μέγας, Flavius Theodosius)Theodosius
I Coins.htm |
19 January 379 –
17 January 395 |
Born on 11 January 347. Aristocrat and military leader,
brother-in-law of Gratian, who appointed him as emperor of the East.
From 392 until his death sole Roman emperor |
|
Arcadius
(Αρκάδιος, Flavius Arcadius)Arcadius
Coins.htm |
17 January 395 –
1 May 408 |
Born in 377/378, the eldest son of Theodosius I.
Succeeded upon the death of his father |
|
Theodosius II
(Θεοδόσιος Β’, Flavius Theodosius)
Theodosius II Coins.htm |
1 May 408 –
28 July 450 |
Born on 10 April 401, the only son of Arcadius.
Succeeded upon the death of his father. As a minor, the praetorian
prefect
Anthemius
was regent in 408–414. He
died in a riding accident |
|
Marcian
(Μαρκιανός, Flavius Valerius Marcianus)
Marcian Coins.htm
|
450 – January 457 |
Born in 396. A soldier and
politician, he became emperor after being wed by the Augusta
Pulcheria
, Theodosius II’s sister,
following the latter’s death. Died of
gangrene
|
Leonid
dynasty (457–518)
See also:
House of Leo
Name |
Reign |
Comments |
|
Leo I “the Thracian”
(Λέων Α’ ο Θράξ, Flavius Valerius Leo)
Leo I Coins.htm
|
7 February 457 –
18 January 474 |
Born in
Dacia
in 401. A common soldier, he was
chosen by Aspar
, commander-in-chief of the army.
Died of dysentery |
|
Leo II
(Λέων Β’, Flavius Leo)
Leo II
Coins.htm
|
18 January –
17 November 474 |
Born in 467, the grandson of Leo I. Succeeded upon the
death of Leo I. Died of an unknown disease, possibly poisoned |
|
Zeno
(Ζήνων, Flavius Zeno)
Zeno Coins.htm
|
17 November 474 –
9 April 491 |
Born c.425 at
Zenonopolis
,
Isauria
, originally named
Tarasicodissa. Son-in-law of Leo I, he was bypassed in the succession
because of his barbarian origin. Named co-emperor by his son on 9
February 474, he succeeded upon the death of Leo II. Deposed by
Basiliscus, brother-in-law of Leo, he fled to his native country and
regained the throne in August 476. |
|
Basiliscus
(Βασιλίσκος, Flavius Basiliscus)
Basiliscus Coins.htm
|
9 January 475 –
August 476 |
General and brother-in-law of Leo I, he seized power
from Zeno but was again deposed by him. Died in 476/477 |
|
Anastasius I
(Αναστάσιος Α’, Flavius Anastasius)
BYZANTINE – Anastasius
Coins.htm
|
11 April 491 –
9 July 518 |
Born c. 430 at
Dyrrhachium
,
Epirus nova
. A palace official (silentiarius)
and son-in-law of Leo I, he was chosen as emperor by empress-dowager
Ariadne
|
Justinian Dynasty
Main article:
Justinian Dynasty
Portrait |
Name |
Born |
Reigned |
Succession |
Died |
|
Justin I
FLAVIVS IVSTINVS AVGVSTVS |
c. 450 AD,
Naissus
|
July 9, 518 AD – August 1, 527 AD |
Commander of the palace guard under
Anastasius I)
; elected as emperor with
support of army |
August 1, 527 AD
Natural causes |
|
Justinian I
FLAVIVS PETRVS SABBATIVS IVSTINIANVS AVGVSTVS |
c. 482 AD,
Tauresium
,
Dardania
|
August 1, 527 AD – 13/14 November 565 AD |
Nephew and nominated heir of
Justin I
|
13/14 November 565 AD
Natural causes |
|
Justin II
FLAVIVS IVSTINIVS IVNIOR AVGVSTVS |
c. 520 AD, ? |
13/14 November 565 AD – 578 AD |
Nephew of
Justinian I
|
578 AD
Became insane;
Tiberius II Constantine
ruled as regent
from December 574 and became emperor on Justin’s death in 578 |
Roman Late Monogram Coins.htm
Roman AE4 Coins.htm
See also
-
Roman Republic
-
Roman Empire
-
Western Roman Empire
-
Byzantine Empire
-
Britannic Empire
-
Gallic Empire
-
List of Roman usurpers
-
Roman usurper
-
Thirty Tyrants (Roman)
|