Domitianus (counter-emperor)
Domitianus is a Roman official who is only vaguely apparent in the ancient literary sources, who was emperor for a short time around the year 271 in the renegade Imperium Galliarum , which at that time comprised the provinces of Gaul and Britain . He is sometimes referred to as Domitian II.
Only two coins provide independent archaeological evidence of Domitianus' existence and government. The first, an Antoninian found around 1900 in the Loire Valley , was mostly viewed as a forgery until a second Antoninian appeared in Oxfordshire in 2003 in a pot of around 5000 coins, undeniably from the period 250-275.
It is assumed that Domitianus is identical with an officer of Aureolus under Gallienus mentioned in the Historia Augusta , as well as with the usurper under Aurelian mentioned in Zosimos . His reign, which was possibly in competition with Victorinus and / or Tetricus , will probably not have lasted much longer than a few days - just long enough for his own coins to be struck.
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- Historia Augusta, Thirty Tyrants 12:14; 13.3.
- Historia Augusta, Gallienus 2,6.
- Zosimos, New History 1,49,2.
Web links
- Christian Körner: Short biography (English) at De Imperatoribus Romanis (with references).
- Coin of Domitianus ( Bibliothèque nationale de France )
- Coin unearths new Roman emperor , BBC News, February 25, 2004
predecessor | Office | successor |
---|---|---|
Victorinus |
Emperor of the Imperium Galliarum 271 |
Tetricus I. |
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Domitianus |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Roman official and emperor of the renegade Imperium Galliarum |
DATE OF BIRTH | 3rd century |
DATE OF DEATH | 3rd century |