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Silbannacus
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Silbannacus

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Also known as Imperator Mar. Silbannacus Augustus, Mar. Silbannacus Augustus, Marcius Silbannacus Augustus, Marius Silbannacus Augustus, Marcus Silbannacus Augustus, Marinus Silbannacus

Silbannacus was an obscure Roman emperor or usurper during the Crisis of the Third Century. Silbannacus is not mentioned in any contemporary documents and his existence was forgotten until the 20th century, when two coins bearing his name were discovered, the first in the 1930s and the second in the 1980s. His unusual name suggests that he might have been of Gallic descent.

Key facts

Royalty.succession
Roman emperor or usurper
Royalty.reign
Uncertain, likely briefly at some point between 248 and 253
Royalty.predecessor
Uncertain, possibly Philip the Arab or Aemilian
Royalty.successor
Uncertain, possibly Philip the Arab or Valerian
Royalty.full name
Mar. Silbannacus
Royalty.regnal name
Imperator Mar. Silbannacus Augustus
Royalty.image
Silbannacus-1 obvers.jpg
Royalty.alt
Coin of Silbannacus
Royalty.caption
The Antoninianus of Silbannacus discovered in the 1930s. The inscription reads .

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Gender
male
Citizenship
Ancient Rome
Occupation
monarch
Position held
Roman emperor
Languages spoken
Latin
Noble title
imperator
Image
Silbannacus-1 obvers.jpg
Show 4 more facts
date of death
0300-01-01
date of birth
0200-00-00
subject has role
Roman usurper
Commons category
Silbannacus
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

8 sections
Contents
  • Name
  • Interpretations and speculation
  • As usurper in Gaul
  • As emperor in Rome
  • See also
  • References
  • Bibliography
  • Web sources

Silbannacus was an obscure Roman emperor or usurper during the Crisis of the Third Century. Silbannacus is not mentioned in any contemporary documents and his existence was forgotten until the 20th century, when two coins bearing his name were discovered, the first in the 1930s and the second in the 1980s. His unusual name suggests that he might have been of Gallic descent.

As the only known evidence for his existence is the two coins, the exact time and extent of Silbannacus's rule is not known. Based on the design of the coin and its silver content, Silbannacus was most likely concurrent with the reigns of Philip the Arab (244–249), Decius (249–251), Trebonianus Gallus (251–253), Aemilian (253), or Valerian (253–260). The two most prevalent ideas are the older hypothesis, that Silbannacus was a usurper in Gaul during the reign of Philip the Arab, at some point between 248 and 250, and the newer hypothesis, based on the design of the second coin, that Silbannacus was a briefly reigning legitimate emperor, holding Rome between the death of Aemilian and the arrival of Valerian.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Silbannacus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (4)