Zidurile lui Aurelian !

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Aurelian Walls

While Claudius Gothicus was inflicting crushing defeats on the Goths and the Alemanni, the splinter Gallic Empire had begun to show some characteristically Roman imperial envy. Postumus had set the Gallic Empire up as a mirror state of the Roman Empire, with its own Senate, Imperial Court, and public positions – much as Sertorius had done in Hispania in the latter days of the republic. Assuming his fifth ‘Consulship’ in 269 AD, one of his top military leaders Laelianus – the ‘governor’ of Germania – rebelled, declaring himself the Gallic emperor in Mogonticum (Mainz), with the support of the Twenty Second Legion. Postumus recaptured Mogonticum and killed Laelianus within months, though his troops then wished to sack the city. When Postumus tried to refrain them – this was their city, after all – they turned on him, and killed him. He had ruled the splinter Gallic Empire for nine years.

His troops set up Marcus Aurelius Marius, a common soldier who had chosen his “royal” name as it reflected his two favourite Romans, as the new emperor, who promptly let them sack Mainz. Marius was not fated to have the glorious reign of his namesake, seven times Consuld and third founder of Rome – the tenure of this Marius was so brief, it would be better described as an interruption rather than a reign. Contemporary accounts are that he “ruled” for three days, though coinage minted in his image would imply he had several months. Either way, it was not long before he was murdered and replaced by the ‘Praetorian Prefect’ Victorinus. While all of this infighting was going on, Claudius was able to recapture Hispania and southern Gaul.

Down in Italy, the tenure of Quintillus following the death of Claudius was similarly brief. Some reports are that the soldiers elected him, others that he simply seized power on his brother’s death. While the Senate confirmed Quintillus, records indicate that the Danube legions were unaware of his elevation, and proclaimed their leader Aurelian as emperor. His fate is uncertain, and he ruled for either 17 or 117 days, before either being killed by his insubordinate troops, murdered by his physician, committing suicide, or being killed in conflict with Aurelian. The path was now clear for Aurelian’s confirmation as emperor, and he immediately set to task in restoring Rome’s lost provinces.

In the east, another one of Rome’s enemies would die – Shapur the Great, who had inflicted crushing defeats on two Roman armies, and captured the Emperor Valerian, died in May 270 at Bishapur. He had ruled the Sassanid Empire for 30 years, providing much needed stability and success for the fledgling empire amidst the turmoil of an unravelling Roman Empire. He was succeeded by his son Hormizd, though he in turn would rule for less than a year before being replaced by the less competent Bahram, plunging the empire into uncertainty.

Aurelian’s ambition was the reunification of the empire that had looked inevitable under Claudius – but first he had to drive invading Germanic tribes out of Italia. He led legions north against the Vandals, Juthungi and Sarmatians, expelling all of them from the peninsular. In 271 the Alemanni again entered Cisalpine Gaul, saking villages along the Po Valley and occupying Placentia while Aurelian was in Pannonia ensuring the Vandals’ withdrawal. The emperor swiftly returned to Italia, though his army was ambushed in the woods at the Battle of Placentia, and forced to withdraw. Panic erupted in Rome as the way was now clear for the barbarians to advance.

Aurelian managed to regroup his legions though, swiftly marching south to catch up with the Alemanni along the River Metaurus – the same river where Hannibal’s reinforcements under his brother Hasdrubal had been defeated almost 500 years earlier. He managed to pin the Germans against the river, and destroyed them at the Battle of Fano. Although the imminent threat had gone, it was clear from this invasion and the last several years that Rome was vulnerable. Ravaging armies of barbarians and clashes with the legions were no longer restricted to the frontier provinces – now they were taking place in the Italian peninsular. Rome itself had long been assumed as far from danger, with the city’s population and buildings spilling far beyond the old Severian Walls. Aurelian’s lasting contribution was beginning the construction of new walls, which would run for 12 miles (19km) around the city, surrounding an area of 5.3 square miles (13.7km). These walls were 3.5 metres (11ft thick), and 16m (52 ft) high, with a square tower every 29.6m (97 ft). The full circuit comprised 383 towers, 18 main gates, 5 postern gates, 116 latrines, 2,066 windows, and 7,020 battlements. Rome itself would now be guarded by indomitable defences.

Leading his legions to the Balkans, Aurelian defeated and routed a large Gothic army north of the Danube, killing the leader Cannabaudes. Despite this victory, Aurelian decided to abandon the province of Dacia, so hard fought for 160 years earlier during the campaigns of Trajan. Dacia had always seemed a vulnerable province for Rome though, situated on the north of the Danube (modern day Romania), and Roman occupation had likely exhausted the rich mines in the region. Aurelian reorganised a new province of Dacia south of the Danube, inside the former Moesia. With the external threat of invaders quelled, Aurelian could now turn his focus to the two renegade empires. Though while he had been busy driving barbarians out of Italia, the Palmyrene Empire had been establishing its independence by annexing Roman Persia.