Julius Saturninus

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Aureus of Saturninus

Gaius Iulius Saturninus († 281 in Apamea am Orontes ) was a Roman usurper in the 3rd century. His life story is largely based on his vita in the late antique (and often notoriously unreliable) Historia Augusta , so that the following description should only be treated with caution.

According to the vita in the Historia Augusta , he was a Gaul by birth; according to Zosimos (1.66), however, he is said to have been a Moor . Emperor Probus appointed him (probably) governor of the province of Syria in 279 , where his own troops made him emperor in 281. Before Probus could respond to the threat, Saturninus, who allegedly reluctantly turned to purple, had already been murdered by his own troops in Apamea.

literature

  • Gerald Kreucher: The emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus and his time (= Historia individual writings. Vol. 174). Steiner, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-515-08382-0 , pp. 172–177 ( limited preview in Google book search).

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Saturninus, Julius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Iulius Saturninus, Gaius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman governor of Syria and Roman counter-emperor
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century
DATE OF DEATH 281
Place of death Apamea on the Orontes