Philip
I ‘the Arab’ –
Roman Emperor
: 244-249 A.D. –
Bronze ‘Sestertius’ 30mm (15.04 grams) from Year 8 of the founding of Viminacium = ANVIII = 247 A.D.
IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, Radiate draped & curiassed bust right.
P M S COL VIM, Moesia standing left between bull & lion (symbol of Seventh
Claudian Legion),
AN VIII in ex.
The bull and lion were the symbols of the legions stationed in Vimiancium.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured,
provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of
Authenticity.
Legio septima Claudia Pia Fidelis (Seventh Claudian
Legion) was a
Roman legion
. Its emblem, as well as of all Caesar’s legions, was the bull,
together with the lion.[citation
needed]
The 7th, along with the
6th
,
8th
&
9th
were all founded by Pompey in Spain in 65 BC.
They were ordered to
Cisalpine Gaul
around 58 BC by
Julius Caesar
, and marched with him throughout the entire Gallic Wars.
Legio VII was one of the two legions used in
Caesar’s invasions of Britain
, and played a crucial role in The
Battle of Pharsalus
in 48 BC, and it existed at least until the end of the
4th century, guarding middle
Danube
.
Tiberius Claudius Maximus
the Roman soldier who brought the head of
Decebalus
to emperor
Trajan
was serving in Legio VII Claudia.
Map of the Roman empire in AD 125, under emperor
HadrianLegio VII Claudia, stationed on the river
Danube
at
Viminacium
(Kostolac, Serbia), in
Moesia Superior
province, from AD 58 until the 4th century
Viminacium was a major city of the
Romanann
province of
Moesia
(today’s
Serbia
), and the capital of
Moesia Superior
. Viminacium was the base camp of
Claudia Legio VII
, and hosted for some time the
Flavia Felix IIII
. It was destroyed in 440 by the
Huns
, but rebuilt by
Justinian I
. During
Maurice’s Balkan campaigns
, Viminacium saw destruction by the
Avars
in 584 and a crushing defeat of Avar forces on the northern Danube
bank in 599, destroying Avar reputation for invincibility.
Today
Kostolac
, a small
Serbian
town on the
Danube
river, is located where Viminacium used to be.
Marcus
Julius Philippus or Philippus I Arabs (c. 204–249), known in
English
as Philip the Arab or formerly (prior to World War II) in
English as Philip the Arabian, was a
Roman
Emperor
from 244 to 249.
//
Little is known about Philip’s early life and political
career. He was born in
Shahba
, about
55 miles southeast of
Damascus
,
in the
Roman province
of
Syria
. Philip has the nickname “the Arab” because he had family who had
originated in the
Arabian peninsula
, believed to be distant descendants of the prestigious
Baleed family of Aleppo
. Philip was the son of a Julius Marinus, a local Roman citizen,
possibly of some importance. Many historians[1][2][3]
agree that he was of Arab descent who gained
Roman citizenship
through his father, a man of considerable influence. Many
citizens from the provinces took Roman names upon acquiring citizenship. This
makes tracing his Arabic blood line difficult. However, it is documented that
Rome used the
Ghassan
tribe from the
Azd of
Yemen
as vassals
to keep the neighboring northern Arabs in check.
The name of Philip’s mother is unknown, but sources refer to
a brother,
Gaius Julius Priscus
, a member of the
Praetorian guard
under
Gordian
III
(238–244). In 234, Philip married
Marcia Otacilia Severa
, daughter of a Roman Governor. They had two children:
a son named Marcus Julius Philippus Severus (Philippus
II) in 238 and according to numismatic evidence they had a daughter called
Julia Severa or Severina, whom the ancient Roman sources don’t mention.
Philip became a member of the
Pretorian Guard
during the reign of the emperor
Alexander Severus
, who was a Syrian. In ancient Rome the Pretorian Guard was
closely associated with the emperor, serving among other things as the emperor’s
bodyguard.
Political
career
In 243, during
Gordian
III
‘s campaign against
Shapur I
of
Persia, the
Praetorian prefect
Timesitheus
died under unclear circumstances. At the suggestion of his
brother Priscus, Philip became the new Praetorian prefect, with the intention
that the two brothers would control the young Emperor and rule the Roman world
as unofficial regents. Following a military defeat, Gordian III died in 244
under circumstances that are still debated. While some claim that Philip
conspired in his murder, other accounts (including one coming from the Persian
point of view) state that Gordian died in battle. Whatever the case, Philip
assumed the purple following Gordian’s death. According to Edward Gibbon:
His rise from so obscure a station to the first dignities
of the empire seems to prove that he was a bold and able leader. But his
boldness prompted him to aspire to the throne, and his abilities were
employed to supplant, not to serve, his indulgent master.
Philip was not willing to repeat the mistakes of previous
claimants, and was aware that he had to return to
Rome in order to
secure his position with the
senate
. He thus travelled west, after concluding a peace treaty with Shapur
I, and left his brother Priscus as extraordinary ruler of the Eastern provinces.
In Rome he was confirmed
Augustus
, and nominated his young son
Caesar
and heir.
Philip’s rule started with yet another
Germanic
incursion on the provinces of
Pannonia
and the Goths
invaded Moesia
(modern-day Serbia
and Bulgaria
)
in the Danube
frontier. They were finally defeated in the year 248, but the
legions
were not satisfied with the result, probably due to a low share of the plunder,
if any. Rebellion soon arose and
Tiberius
Claudius Pacatianus
was proclaimed emperor by the troops. The uprising was
crushed and Philip nominated
Gaius Messius
Quintus Decius
as governor of the province. Future events would prove this
to be a mistake. Pacatianus’ revolt was not the only threat to his rule: in the
East, Marcus Jotapianus
led another uprising in response to the oppressive rule of
Priscus
and the excessive taxation of the Eastern provinces. Two other
usurpers, Marcus Silbannacus
and
Sponsianus
,
are reported to have started rebellions without much success.
In April
A.D.
248 (April 1000
A.U.C.
), Philip had the honour of leading the celebrations of the one
thousandth birthday of Rome, which according to tradition was
founded
in 753 BC by
Romulus
. He combined the anniversary with the celebration of Rome’s alleged
tenth saeculum
.
According to contemporary accounts, the festivities were magnificent and
included spectacular games,
ludi saeculares
, and theatrical presentations throughout the city. In the
coliseum, more than 1,000 gladiators were killed along with hundreds of exotic
animals including hippos, leopards, lions, giraffes, and one rhinoceros.
The events were also celebrated in literature, with several publications,
including
Asinius Quadratus
‘s History of a Thousand Years, specially prepared
for the anniversary.
Despite the festive atmosphere, discontent in the legions was
growing. Decius
(249–251) was proclaimed Emperor by the Danubian armies in the spring of 249 and
immediately marched to Rome. Philip’s army met the usurper near modern
Verona
that summer. Decius won the battle and Philip was killed sometime in
September 249,
either in the fighting or assassinated by his own soldiers who were eager to
please the new ruler. Philip’s eleven-year-old son and heir may have been killed
with his father and Priscus disappeared without a trace.
Religious
beliefs
Further information:
Philip the Arab and Christianity
Some later traditions, first mentioned in the historian
Eusebius
in his
Ecclesiastical History
, held that Philip was the first
Christian
Roman emperor. This tradition seems to be based on reports in
Eusebius that Philip allegedly had once entered a Christian service on Easter,
after having been required by a bishop to confess his sins. Later versions
located this event in Antioch.
However, historians generally identify the later Emperor
Constantine, baptised on his deathbed, as the first Christian emperor, and
generally describe Philip’s adherence to Christianity as dubious, because
non-Christian writers do not mention the fact, and because throughout his reign,
Philip to all appearances (coinage, etc.) continued to follow the
state religion
.
Critics ascribe Eusebius’ claim as probably due to the tolerance Philip showed
towards Christians.
Saint Quirinus of Rome
was, according to a legendary account, the son of
Philip the Arab.
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