In June 251, Decius and his co-emperor and sonHerennius Etruscus died in theBattle of Abrittus at the hands of theGoths they were supposed to punish for raids into the empire. According to rumours supported byDexippus (a contemporary Greek historian) and the thirteenthSibylline Oracle, Decius' failure was largely owing to Gallus, who had conspired with the invaders. In any case, when the army heard the news, the soldiers proclaimed Gallus emperor, despiteHostilianus, Decius' surviving son, ascending the imperial throne in Rome.[7] This action of the army, and the fact that Gallus seems to have been on good terms with Decius' family, makes Dexippus' allegation improbable.[8] Gallus did not back down from his intention to become emperor, but accepted Hostilian as co-emperor, perhaps to avoid the damage of another civil war. This gesture aimed to present a united front and quell dissent within the ranks of the military and the Senate.[6]
Anxious to secure his position at Rome and stabilize the situation on the Danube frontier, Gallus made peace with the Goths.[6] Peace terms allowed the Goths to leave Roman territory while keeping their captives and plunder. In addition, it was agreed that they would be paid an annual subsidy.[9] Reaching Rome, Gallus' proclamation was formally confirmed by theSenate, with his sonVolusian being appointed Caesar. On 24 June 251, Decius was deified, but by November Hostilian disappears from history—he may have died in an outbreak ofplague.[10]
Gallus may have also ordered a localized and uncoordinated persecution ofChristians.[11] However, only two incidents are known to us: the exile ofPope Cornelius toCentumcellae, where he died in 253, and the exile of his successor,Pope Lucius, right after his election. The latter was recalled to Rome during the reign ofValerian.[12]
Like his predecessors, Gallus did not have an easy reign. In the East, an Antiochene nobleman,Mariades, revolted and began ravagingSyria andCappadocia, then fled to the Persians. Gallus ordered his troops to attack the Persians, but Persian EmperorShapur I invadedArmenia and destroyed a large Roman army, taking it by surprise atBarbalissos in 253. Shapur I then invaded the defenseless Syrian provinces, capturing all of their legionary posts and ravaging their cities, includingAntioch, without any response.[13] Persian invasions were repeated in the following year, but nowUranius Antoninus (a priest originally calledSampsiceramus), a descendant of the royal house ofEmesa, confronted Shapur and forced him to retreat. Uranius proclaimed himself emperor,[11] however, and minted coins with his image upon them.[14] On the Danube,Scythian tribes were once again on the loose, despite the peace treaty signed in 251. They invaded Asia Minor by sea, burned the greatTemple of Artemis atEphesus, and returned home with plunder.Lower Moesia was also invaded in early 253.[15]Aemilian, governor of Moesia Superior and Pannonia, took the initiative and defeated the invaders.
Since the army was no longer pleased with the Emperor, the soldiers proclaimed Aemilian emperor. With anusurper, supported by Pauloctus, threatening the throne, Gallus prepared for a fight. He recalled severallegions and ordered reinforcements to return to Rome fromGaul under the command of the future emperorPublius Licinius Valerianus. Despite these dispositions, Aemilian marched onto Italy ready to fight for his claim and caught Gallus atInteramna (modern Terni) before the arrival of Valerian. What exactly happened there is not clear, as sources do not agree with each other.[16] Later sources claim that after an initial defeat, Gallus andVolusian were murdered by their own troops;[15] or Gallus did not have the chance to face Aemilian at all because his army went over to the usurper.[17] In any case, both Gallus and Volusian were killed in August 253.[16] Gallus's ascension and the subsequent events underscore the delicate balance of power in the third century Roman Empire, where the survival of an emperor depended not only on alliances and military might but also on the ability to navigate the complexities of political legitimacy and public perception.[6]
^abcdEdwards, Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen; Bowman, Alan; Garnsey, Peter; Cameron, Averil (1970).The Cambridge Ancient History: Volume 12, The Crisis of Empire, AD 193-337. Cambridge University Press. p. 38.ISBN978-0-521-30199-2.
^Parker, Philip (2010).The Empire Stops Here: A Journey Along the Frontiers of the Roman World. Pimlico. p. 204.ISBN978-1-84595-003-3.
^Koçak, Mustafa; Kreikenbom, Detlev (2022).Sculptures from Roman Syria II. Walter de Gruyter. p. 60.ISBN978-3-11-071152-3.As had been stipulated by other scientists, the head does not compare to any other imperial portrait proposed. Moreover, the denomination of other heads kept in Rome, supposedly representing this Emperor, remains questionable...
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![Bust in Antakya museum sometimes identified as Gallus[18][19]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aAntakya_Archaeology_Museum_Emperor_Trebonianus_Gallus_bust_sept_2019_6079.jpg)
