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Crisis of the Third Century

  • Gordian IMarcus Antonius Gordianus lived from 158 to April 238. His name suggests paternal ancestors received Roman citizenship under Mark Antony during the late…
  • BalbinusDecimus Caelius Calvinus Balbinus emerged from the Roman aristocracy around 178 AD. His lineage remains a subject of historical conjecture rather than…
  • Battle of NaissusThe text of the Athenian Dexippus has survived only indirectly through quotations in the fourth-century Augustan History. Modern historian David S.
  • Claudius GothicusMarcus Aurelius Claudius was born on the 10th of May in 214. Some researchers suggest a later date of 219 or 220, yet most historians adhere to the first…
  • Gordian IIMarcus Antonius Gordianus was born in 192 to a family with deep roots in the Roman Republic. His praenomen and nomen suggest his ancestors received…
  • DiocletianIn the year 284, an army gathered on a hill outside Nicomedia to choose their new leader. The soldiers had just discovered that Emperor Numerian was dead…
  • Maximinus ThraxGaius Julius Verus Maximinus Thrax emerged from the provinces of Moesia, a region along the Danube River. Ancient sources offer conflicting accounts of his…
  • AurelianAurelian entered the Roman army in 235, a year that marked the beginning of his ascent from modest circumstances. Most historians agree he was born on the…
  • Gallic EmpireIn the summer of 260, King Odaenathus gained control of Egypt and Syria while Emperor Valerian was captured by the Sasanian Empire.
  • Palmyrene EmpireThe murder of Roman emperor Alexander Severus in 235 triggered a chain reaction that shattered the empire. Generals squabbled for control while frontiers…
  • Plague of CyprianThe Roman Empire faced a pandemic from about AD 249 to 262, or possibly extending to 270. Historians debate the exact start date and geographical origin of…
  • Crisis of the Third CenturyIn the year 235, a Roman emperor named Severus Alexander stood before his own troops in Germania. He had chosen diplomacy over war to stop Germanic tribes…
  • ZenobiaIn the year 240, a girl was born in Palmyra with the name Bat-Zabbai. Her native tongue was Aramaic, and her name meant daughter of Zabbai.
  • Historia AugustaIsaac Casaubon published a critical edition of the Historia Augusta in 1603, establishing the modern name for this late Roman collection.
  • TetrarchyRoman emperor Diocletian instituted a new system of governance in the late third century to address severe military and administrative crises.
  • Gordian IIIThe 20th of January in the year 225 marked the birth of Marcus Antonius Gordianus. Historical records regarding his early years remain frustratingly sparse…
  • Severus AlexanderOn the 13th of March 222, the Roman army hailed a thirteen-year-old boy as emperor. This young man was Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander, grandson of Julia…