Lucius Mussius Aemilianus
Usurper of throne of Roman Empire (died 261/262)
| Lucius Mussius Aemilianus | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usurper of the Roman Empire | |||||||||
 Aemilianus from Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum | |||||||||
| Reign | 260 or 260-261 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Gallienus | ||||||||
| Successor | Gallienus | ||||||||
| Died | 261 or 262 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Father | Italian | ||||||||
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Crisis of the Third Century
Reign of Maximinus Thrax (235–238)
- Death of Alexander Severus (235)
- Harzhorn (c. 235)
- Usurpation of Magnus (c. 235)
- Usurpation of Quartinus (235)
Year of the Six Emperors (238)
- Revolt of Gordian I & Gordian II (238)
- Battle of Carthage (238)
- Siege of Aquileia (238)
- Reign of Pupienus & Balbinus (238)
- Invasion of the Carpi (238–239)
Reign of Gordian III (238–244)
- Sabinianus Revolt (240)
- Fall of Hatra (241)
- Resaena (243)
- Misiche (244)
Reign of Philip the Arab (244–249)
- Invasion of the Carpi (245–247)
- Secular Games of 248 (248)
- Usurpation of Sponsianus (240s)
- Usurpation of Pacatianus (248)
- Usurpation of Jotapianus (249)
- Usurpation of Silbannacus (249 or 253)
- Decius' Rebellion (249)
Verona and death of Philip & Philip II (249)
Reign of Decius (249–251)
- Plague of Cyprian (250–270)
- Decian persecution (250–251)
- Gothic invasion of Cniva (250–251)
- Carpi invasion of Dacia (250)
- Nicopolis ad Istrum (250)
- Beroe (250)
- Philippopolis (250)
- Usurpation of Julius Priscus (251)
- Abritus and death of Decius and Etruscus (251)
Reign of Trebonianus Gallus (251–253)
- Death of Hostilian (251)
- Mariades' Revolt (252)
- Nisibis (252)
- Barbalissos (253)
- Interamna Nahars (c 253)
Reign of Aemilianus (253)
- Antioch (253)
Reign of Valerian and Gallienus (253–260)
- Thessalonica (254)
- Thermopylae (254)
- Dura-Europos (256)
- Gothic invasion (256–257)
- Invasion of Shapur (258)
- Invasion of the Alemanni (258–260 approx)
- Mediolanum (259)
- Scythian invasion (259–260)
- Edessa (260)
Reign of Gallienus (260–268)
- Caesarea (260)
- Usurpation of Ingenuus (260)
- Usurpation of Regalianus (260)
- Usurpation of Macrianus Major (c. 259–261)
- Gallic Empire (260–274)
- Death of Saloninus (260)
- Roxolani Invasion of Pannonia (260)
- Campaigns of Odaenathus (260–267)
- Usurpation of Quietus (261)
- Usurpation of Balista (261)
- Usurpation of Valens Thessalonicus (261)
- Usurpation of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi (261)
- Usurpation of Macrianus Minor (261)
- Pannonian Rebellion (261)
- Usurpation of Mussius Aemilianus (261–262)
- Postumus' Campaign against the Franks (262)
- Postumus' Campaign against the Alamanni (263)
- Ctesiphon (263)
- Scythian Invasion (265–266)
- Assassination of Odaenathus (267)
- Usurpation of Maeonius (266–267)
- Scythian Invasion (267–269)
- Heruli Raids (267)
- Athens (267)
- Usurpation of Acilius Aureolus (268)
Reign of Claudius Gothicus (268–270)
- Usurpation of Laelianus (269)
- Reign of Marcus Aurelius Marius (269)
- Augustodunum Haeduorum
- Naissus (268/269)
- Lake Benacus (268 or 269)
- Capture of Athens (269)
- Palmyrene Empire (270–273)
- Bostra (270)
- Palmyrene invasion of Egypt (270)
- Vandal Invasion (270)
Reign of Aurelian (270–275)
- Usurpation of Victorinus Junior (271)
- Junthungi Invasion (271)
- Domitian II (271)
- Tetricus I & Tetricus II (271–274)
- Rebellion of Felicissimus (270s)
- Placentia (271)
- Fano (271)
- Pavia (271)
- Tyana (272)
- Immae (272)
- Emesa (272)
- Razing of Palmyra (273)
- Usurpation of Faustinus (c. 273)
- Châlons (274)
Reign of Tacitus (275-276)
- Gothic Invasion (276-277)
Reign of Probus (276-282)
- Vandal Invasion (276-278)
- Sarmatian Invasion (278)
- Usurpation of Bonosus & Proculus (280)
- Usurpation of Julius Saturninus (280)
Reign of Carus (282-283)
- Carus' invasion of the Sasanian Empire (283)
Reign of Carinus (283-285)
- Usurpation of Julian of Pannonia (284-285)
- Margum (285)
Lucius Mussius Aemilianus signo Aegippius (died 261 or 262) was a Roman who held a number of military and civilian positions during the middle of the third century. He is best known as a Roman usurper during the reign of Gallienus.
Sources
The sources for this emperor include Eusebius, Ecclesiae Historia 7.11; Epitome de Caesaribus, 32.4; Historia Augusta, "Gallienus" 4.1-2, 5.6, 9.1; "Tyranni Triginta" 22.1-8, as well as several papyri and one inscription.
Career
Mussius Aemilianus probably was of Italian stock. His career in imperial service is documented up to 18 May 247 from an inscription recovered at Fiumicino.[1] Appointments he held up to that date include praefectus vehiculorum trium provinciarum Galliarum, procurator Alexandreae Pelusi and a third location (now lost), procurator portus utriusque Ostiae.
Valerian appointed him Praefectus of Roman Egypt, a position he held from possibly as early as 256 to 261.[2] While the primary concern of the governor of Egypt was to safeguard the harvest and delivery of grain to the populace of Rome, he had other responsibilities which included resuming the persecution of Christians that had started under his predecessor Aurelius Appius Sabinus. Eusebius preserves a letter of Bishop Dionysius of Alexandria where the bishop documents his trial before Mussius Aemilianus for professing Christianity, for which he was exiled to Cephro in the Libyan Desert.[3] A surviving papyrus, dated to 259/260, has been identified as an independent witness to this trial.[4]
Usurpation
He supported the rebellion of the Macriani against Gallienus (260-261). When the Macriani were defeated Mussius Aemilianus proclaimed himself emperor.[5]
Gallienus sent his general Aurelius Theodotus to Egypt to deal with Aemilianus. After a short struggle Aemilianus was defeated (before 30 March 262), captured, and later strangled in prison. Subsequently Memor, a possible supporter, was executed.
See also
- Gallienus usurpers – Roman usurpers during the reign of emperor Gallienus
References
- ^ CIL VI, 1624 = ILS 1433
- ^ Guido Bastianini, "Lista dei prefetti d'Egitto dal 30a al 299p", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 17 (1975), pp. 314f
- ^ Eusebius, Ecclesiae Historia, 7.11. English translation in G. A. Williamson, Eusebius: The History of the Church (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1965), pp. 294-298
- ^ Lincoln H. Blumell, "The Date of P.Oxy. XLIII 3119, the Deputy-Prefect Lucius Missius Aemilianus, and the Persecution of Christians by Valerian and Gallienus", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 186 (2013), pp. 111–113
- ^ Clifford Ando (2012). Imperial Rome AD 193 to 284: The Critical Century. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 169ff. ISBN 978-0-7486-2050-0.
Further reading
- "Usurpers in Egypt: Mussius Aemilianus and Memor", in Körner, Christian, "Usurpers under Gallienus", De Imperatoribus Romanis website
- John R. Martindale, "Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Addenda et Corrigenda to Volume I", Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, 23 (1974), pp. 246-252
