Marcus Aurelius Iulianus

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Julian's aureus

Julian of Pannonia (full name probably Marcus Aurelius Sabinus Iulianus ) was one of numerous usurpers in the time of the Roman Empire crisis of the 3rd century . The exact name of the usurper, the place and time of both his elevation and his defeat are disputed in research. What is certain, however, is that his elevation falls under the reign of Emperor Carinus (283–285).

To the written sources

In addition to the coins, only three ancient sources are available, some of which contradict each other: the Liber de Caesaribus by Aurelius Victor , the Epitome de Caesaribus and the Historia Nea des Zosimos .

Your information can be briefly summarized as follows.

According to Aurelius Victor, Julian corrector Venetiae (et Histriae) , that is, he was governor of Veneto and Istria , usurped after the death of Carus (summer 283), controlled Pannonia and is said to have fallen in Illyricum at the beginning of 285 .

The Epitome de Caesaribus and Zosimos, on the other hand, report that Julian was Praetorian prefect , rose up after the death of Numerianus (autumn 284) in Italy and was later defeated there. The epitome also names the place of the battle, namely Verona .

The coins

Antoninian Marcus Aurelius Iulianus

The gold and billon coins (aurei or antoniniane) of Julian give us information in a variety of ways. They represent the only surviving portraits of the usurper and also refer to his power base. Because according to the mint signature on the reverse, they were all minted in Siscia, the capital of the province of Pannonia superior . In addition, some antoninians show the personifications of the two Pannonian provinces as reverse representations, surrounded by the legend PANNONIAE AVG (usti).

Name and title

With regard to the name, the following can be stated: The Epitome de Caesaribus and the Historia Nea speak of a Sabinus Iulianus , the coins of the usurper call him Marcus Aurelius Iulianus . Here, Sabinus Julianus have been his birth name; after his ascension as emperor he will have given himself the prestigious name Marcus Aurelius , like other emperors before and after him. A contradiction does not have to arise here. Name and title can be added as follows:

IMP (erator) C (aesar) M (arcus) AVR (elius) [SABINVS] IVLIANVS P (ius) F (elix) AVG (ustus).

The historical process

After Carinus (283–285) learned of the death of his brother Numerianus (283–284) in late summer / autumn 284, he left Siscia for Rome. The corrector Venetiae (et Histriae) Julian took advantage of this and invaded Pannonia, which enabled him to secure Siscia as a power base and mint. Probably at the beginning of the following year, Carinus left Rome to defeat Julian. This fell after the first battle, either in Verona or in Pannonia.

literature

  • RAG Carson: Principal Coins of the Romans . Vol. 2: The principate. 31 BC-AD 296 . London 1980.
  • Richard Delbrueck : The coin portraits from Maximinus to Carinus . Berlin 1940 (The Roman Emperor III.2).
  • Thorsten Fleck: Julianus I of Pannonia. Considerations on chronology and coinage . In: Geldgeschichtliche Nachrichten 212, March 2003, pp. 61–64. ISSN  0435-1835 (despite the meager sources, it offers the most comprehensive presentation to date).
  • Edmund Groag, Arthur Stein, L. Petersen (Eds.): Prosopographia Imperii Romani Saec. I. II. III. Berlin Leipzig 1933 ff., Vol. 1, 1933.
  • Arnold Hugh Martin Jones , John Robert Martindale, John Morris : M. Aur. Sabinus Iulianus 24. In: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE). Volume 1, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1971, ISBN 0-521-07233-6 , p. 474.
  • BM Felletti Maj: Iconografia romana imperiale II. Da Severo Alessandro a M. Aurelio Carino (222–285 d. C.) . Rome 1958.
  • Dietmar Kienast , Werner Eck , Matthäus Heil : Roman imperial table. Basic features of a Roman imperial chronology . 6th edition. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2017, ISBN 978-3-534-26724-8 , pp. 253-254.
  • H. Mattingly, EA Sydenham (Ed.): The Roman Imperial Coinage . Vol. V / 2: Probus-Amandus . London 1933, reprinted 1998.
  • Efrem Pegan: Imperator Marcus Aurelius Julianus In: Numizmaticke Vijesti 15, 1968, pp. 45-52.
  • AS Robertson: Roman imperial coins in the Hunter Coin Cabinet . Vol. IV: Valerian I to Allectus . London / Glasgow / New York 1978.

Web links

Remarks

  1. Aurelius Victor 39.9f.
  2. Epitome de Caesaribus 38.6; Zosimos 1.73, 1-3.