Valerian

Valerian shared the empire with his son Gallienus, taking responsibility for the eastern frontier while Gallienus defended the west. He is chiefly remembered for his catastrophic capture by the Sassanid king Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa in 260 AD, the first and only capture of a Roman emperor by a foreign power.

Valerian's capture was the most humiliating military defeat in Roman history, depicted triumphantly in Sassanid rock reliefs at Naqsh-e Rostam. It accelerated the fragmentation of the empire and the breakaway of the Palmyrene and Gallic empires.

Key Events

253 AD Proclaimed emperor; appointed son Gallienus as co-emperor

254 AD Divided the empire: Valerian took the East, Gallienus the West

257 AD Renewed persecution of Christians with edicts against the clergy

258 AD Execution of Pope Sixtus II and martyrdom of Lawrence of Rome

260 AD Captured by Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa; died in captivity

Coinage

Valerian's coinage circulated alongside his son Gallienus's and reflects the division of the empire into eastern and western administrative halves. The antoninianus was now heavily debased, and many of Valerian's issues were struck in the eastern mints.

Denominations

Aureus Antoninianus

Notable Types

RESTITVT ORIENTIS types
FELICITAS AVGG types
VICTORIA AVGG types

Common Reverses

RESTITVT ORIENTIS FELICITAS AVGG VICTORIA AVGG FIDES MILITVM PIETAS AVGG ORIENS AVGG

Active Mints

Rome Milan Viminacium Antioch Samosata

Key Events

Coinage

Further Reading