Diadumenian Marcianopolis Ancient Roman Coin Asclepius Medical symbol i48019

Item: i48019

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

<=”” font=”” color=”#000000″ face=”Times New Roman”> <=”” font=”” color=”#000000″>Philip
I ‘the Arab’ –
Roman Emperor
: 244-249 A.D. –
Bronze ‘Sestertius’ 30mm (18.08 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,

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.

Viminacium was a major city of the

Romanann

province of

Moesia

(today’s

Serbia

), and the capital of

. 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

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

Some later traditions, first mentioned in the historian

Eusebius

in his

, 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.