Decimus Caelius Calvinus Balbinus emerged from the Roman aristocracy around 178 AD. His lineage remains a subject of historical conjecture rather than confirmed fact, though scholars suggest he might have descended from Publius Coelius Balbinus Vibullius Pius.
April 238 AD marked a moment of extreme instability within the Roman Empire when the Senate voted to elevate two men as co-emperors: Pupienus and Balbinus. Their reign lasted only three months before they were assassinated by disaffected elements of the Praetorian Guard.
Disaffected elements of the Praetorian Guard conspired against the joint rule because the military did not accept their authority despite their high status. The older emperor refused to believe the threat was real and thought the guard intended to place him on the throne alone rather than kill them.
Balbinus and his colleague Pupienus restarted the production of the antoninianus coin type which had been halted by Emperor Elagabalus in 219 AD. This resumption marked a return to standard currency practices after years of suspension and served as a visible symbol of their restored authority.
A marble sarcophagus discovered near the Via Appia bears a portrait of Balbinus and is held in collection at the Museo di Pretastato within the catacombs of Praetextatus. The site lies in the Park of the Caffarella near the Appian Way at Rome.