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The Reign of Aemilian: A chronological Note1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2012

H. Mattingly
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Extract

The reign of Aemilian is one of the most obscure episodes in the dark third century of our era. ‘Obscurissime natus obscurius imperavit,’ wrote Eutropius of him, and the epigram has not lost its point to-day. But on one vexed question—the date of his reign—the coins, studied in connexion with the literary tradition, will yield an answer at least approximately certain, and from that answer results follow, which are of vital importance to the chronology of the whole succeeding period.

The duration of the reign of Aemilian was about three months. At Alexandria, where the year began on August 29th, Aemilian has not uncommon coins of year B, none of year A. This should imply that his rule did not extend far back behind the end of August. An inscription of Gemellae in Numidia shows Valerian and Gallienus as Emperors on October 22nd, 253; a detachment of Legio III Augusta, demobilized and sent home from Raetia, makes a dedication ‘pro salute Augg.’ to Victoria Augusta. We have here three pieces of evidence—all equally trustworthy. If we can succeed in combining them, we should be very near the truth.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Roman Studies , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , 1935 , pp. 55 - 58
Copyright
Copyright ©H. Mattingly 1935. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

2 Eutropius ix, 5 ff., ‘tertio mense extinctus est’: Epitome de Caesaribus, 31 he died ‘mense quarto dominatus’: Aurelius Victor, Liber de Caesaribus 29 ff. Trebonianus Gallus, Volusian and Aemilian completed two years between them: ‘his sane omnibus biennium processit.’ Aemilian reigns ‘tres menses.’ Orosius vii, 21, 6, ‘tertio mense invasae tyrannidis extinctus est.’

3 ILS 531. The legion had been cashiered by Gordian III and was restored by Valerian, who sent Legio XXII Primigenia, which had taken its place in Numidia, back to Germany.

4 Hostilian did not outlive his father long enough in A.D. 251 to have an extra year at Alexandria; but he had his extra year at Viminacium. The evidence of the mint of Dacia is indecisive. Its era-date is earlier in the year than that of Viminacium. Aemilian, as well as Valerian, strikes in year viii, A.D. 253–4.

5 Bosch, , ‘Kaiserdaten auf kleinasiatischen Münzen,’ Numismatik, 1933, pp. 33 ffGoogle Scholar.

6 The only Egyptian date of Aemilian in a papyrus is year B, September 28th to October 27th, almost impossible, unless it is an error, in A.D. 253.

7 Cf. Schiller, Römische Geschichte i, 2, pp. 808 ff., who interprets on these lines. His interpretation can now be re-inforced by closer arguments. He has already noted that coinage of Aemilian in Bosporus, Phrygia, Cilicia and Syria, is barely intelligible, if he only ruled three months at Rome.

8 According to Aurelias Victor, Liber de Caesaribus 29 ff. he died ‘tres menses usus modesto imperio.’

9 The question has already been debated in part between him and me in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, xiii and xiv.

10 The exact official reckoning of the reigns of Valerian and Gallienus at Rome is still undetermined. Both coins and inscriptions commonly show an advance of the tribunician count by one above that required to correspond to the consulate—far too commonly for us to explain it by the attribution to the period, December 10th–31st, where the New Year of the tribunate runs ahead of that of the consulate.

Thus on inscriptions:

Dessau, ILS:

535. Valerian is TR P III COS II in A.D. 254.

541. Gallienus is TR P X COS IIII DES V in A.D. 261.

543. Gallienus is TR P XIIII COS VI DES VII in A.D. 265.

and on coins:

Cohen (Valerian) 160. (Mattingly and Sydenham, V. I. p. 40, no. 28). Valerian is TR P III COS II in A.D. 254.

Cohen 165 (M. and S., V. 1. p. 49, no. 142a). Valerian is TR P V COS III in A.D. 256.

Cohen (Gallienus) 836 (M. and S., V. 1. p. 132, no. 20). Gallienus is TR P X COS IIII in A.D. 261.

Cohen 839 (M. and S., V. 1. p. 184, no. 600). Gallienus is TR P XII COS V in A.D. 263.

It would be ridiculous to assign all these inscriptions and coins, which are characteristic, not exceptional, to the last three weeks of these years.

An issue of Gallienus from a mint in Asia combines TR P XV COS VII and uses XVP and VIIC alternately as a kind of mint-mark in exergue (M. and S., V. 1 pp. 184 ff.). This certainly suggests that Gallienus was TR P XV when he became COS VII, January 1st, 266; TR P XVII is actually recorded on very rare coins (M. and S., V. 1 p. 184 no. 605). Whatever the explanation, Valerian and Gallienus reckon their TR P II from a date in A.D. 253 earlier than the New Year of the tribunate, December 10th.