{"id":6489,"date":"2015-02-20T23:41:50","date_gmt":"2015-02-20T22:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aussichten-online.net\/?p=6489"},"modified":"2020-03-30T23:29:27","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T21:29:27","slug":"kaiserbiographien-philippus-arabs-244-249-n-chr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eindruecke.achmnt.eu\/2015\/02\/6489\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaiserbiographien: Philippus Arabs (244 – 249 n. Chr.)"},"content":{"rendered":"

prospectiva imperialia Nr. 29 [20.02.2015] \/ De Imperatorbibus Romanis. An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers [07.06.1999]<\/em><\/p>\n

Philip the Arab and Rival Claimants of the later 240s<\/strong><\/h3>\n

von Michael L. Meckler (Ohio State University)
\nund Christian K\u00f6rner (University of Bern)<\/h4>\n

[Abb.en zu Philip I. Pacatianus, Iotapianus, Silbannacus, Sponsianus, Philip II.]<\/p>\n

\n

Michael L. Meckler: Philip the Arab (244-249 A.D.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Marcus Julius Philippus rose from obscure origins to rule for five and one-half years as Rome’s emperor. Only sketchy details of his life and reign have survived in the historical record. One of those details — his ethnicity — was latched onto by later historians, who called the emperor by the name Philip the Arab.<\/p>\n

Background and Early Career<\/h3>\n

Philip the Arab seems to have been born sometime during the reign of Septimius Severus<\/b><\/a>. [[1]]<\/b><\/a> He was born in the Roman province of Arabia, in what today is the village of Shahba, roughly 55 miles south-southeast of Damascus. The village was obscure at the time of Philip’s birth, though once he became emperor, Philip renamed the community Philippopolis and embarked on a major building campaign. Little is known of Philip’s father, save the name Julius Marinus. This name, however, indicates that the family held Roman citizenship and must have been locally prominent. Nothing is known of Philip’s mother. At some point, probably in the 230s, Philip married Marcia Otacilia Severa. A son was born by 238 and named Marcus Julius Severus Philippus. Philip’s early career is also obscure, though it was undoubtedly helped by that of his brother, Julius Priscus. Priscus was appointed praetorian prefect by Gordian III<\/b><\/a> and had previously served as prefect of the Roman province of Mesopotamia. If a fragmentary inscription from Rome can be connected to Priscus, Philip’s brother rose quickly during Gordian III’s<\/b><\/a> reign through a variety of equestrian offices, including procurator of Macedonia, vice<\/i> prefect of Egypt, and judge at Alexandria. [[2]]<\/b><\/a>
\nPriscus‘ appointment as praetorian prefect probably came at the beginning of the Roman campaign to reconquer upper Mesopotamia in the spring of 242. The success of the campaign must have reflected well on Priscus, and when his colleague Timesitheus (who was also Gordian III’s<\/b><\/a> father-in-law) died the following year, Priscus‘ brother Philip joined him as praetorian prefect. [[3]]<\/b><\/a> The brothers remained the young emperor’s most powerful deputies during the disastrous campaign against the Persians in the winter of 243-44. On the retreat back up the Euphrates after the Roman defeat at Misikhe, Gordian<\/b><\/a> was killed sometime during the winter months of 244. Most sources state that Philip was involved in Gordian’s <\/b><\/a> death; some claim that Philip engineered a mutiny by diverting the grain that was supposed to feed Gordian’s<\/b><\/a> troops. [[4]]<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The Emperor and the Military<\/h3>\n

Philip was acclaimed the new emperor and was firmly in control by late winter 244. [[5]]<\/b><\/a> Like his predecessor Macrinus, Philip faced, as his first important task, the problem of ending a war in the East. Philip was more fortunate in his negotiations than Macrinus<\/b><\/a> had been. Philip made a peace treaty with the Persian king Shapur in which Philip agreed to pay the equivalent of 50 million sesterces, and possibly an annual tribute. The treaty enabled the new emperor to travel westward to Rome. [[6]]<\/b><\/a> It remains unknown why Philip was displayed before the soldiers as their new emperor instead of his more accomplished brother Priscus, but Priscus went on to have extraordinary power in the East during the new regime. Priscus is described in one inscription as rector Orientis<\/i>, and he exercised supreme authority over armies and provinces from his headquarters in Antioch. [[7]]<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The following year the Carpi, a people native to the northern bank of the lower Danube, crossed the river and attacked settlements in the Roman province of Moesia (today, northern Bulgaria), where Philip’s brother-in-law Severianus had been put in command. [[8]]<\/b><\/a> Fighting lasted several years and may have spread westward into Pannonia because of incursions by German tribes. Victory was proclaimed in 248, but the legions in Moesia and Pannonia were dissatisfied with the war’s results. The armies there revolted, proclaiming Tiberius Claudius Marinus Pacatianus<\/b><\/a> as emperor. [[9]]<\/b><\/a> While Philip could point to some success on the Danube frontier, he could not claim victory in his battles with the Moors. The emperor preferred to pay for an ignominious peace rather than lose an ignominious war. The heavy-handedness of his brother Priscus in collecting taxes in the East caused another revolt, this one led by a man named Iotapianus<\/b><\/a>, who claimed to be a kinsman of Severus Alexander<\/a><\/b>. [[10]]<\/b><\/a> Coins that may also be from this period show two other men who tried to become emperors, Silbannacus<\/b><\/a> and Sponsianus<\/b><\/a>. [[11]]<\/b><\/a> Neither is otherwise attested, and each revolt must have been short-lived.<\/p>\n

The Millennium and Christianity<\/h3>\n

Despite growing instability in the provinces, Romans in the year 248 were fascinated by the celebrations of the 1,000th anniversary of their city’s foundation. The festivities may have been patterned after the Secular Games (last held under Septimius Severus<\/b><\/a> 44 years earlier) and included magnificent spectacles for the arena. [[12]]<\/b><\/a> Millennarianism extended into the literary world, with the author Asinius Quadratus honoring the event by writing his Thousand-Year History.<\/i> [[13]]<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Philip’s religious beliefs have garnered the most attention from modern historians. Writing but 75 years after Philip’s reign, the Church father Eusebius relayed a report that Philip was a Christian who was once compelled by a church official to confess his sins before being allowed to attend an Easter service. [[14]]<\/b><\/a> Later sources locate the story in Antioch and connect the tale to Babylas, a bishop later martyred in the persecution mounted by Philip’s successor, Decius. [[15]]<\/b><\/a> The Decian persecution is itself blamed by Eusebius on Decius‘<\/b><\/a> personal hatred for Philip. [[16]]<\/b><\/a> Eusebius also reported that the Christian teacher and apologist Origen wrote one letter to Philip and another to Otacilia Severa. [[17]]<\/b><\/a> While it is quite likely that Philip was well acquainted with Christianity and may even have been respectful of its teachings and leaders, he could not have been a Christian in any meaningful way. Philip appears indistinguishable from other third-century emperors in his use of pagan symbols and titles. Philip made no improvements in the legal status of Christians or their religion. Moreover, Philip’s alleged Christianity was never corroborated by non-Christian authors. [[18]]<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Within six months of the beginning of his reign, <\/a>Philip had appointed his son as Caesar and heir. Three years later, in the summer of 247, the boy was named Augustus and co-ruler, even though he was probably not yet 10 years old. His mother, Otacilia Severa, is last named on coins in the year 248, leading to speculation that she may have died in that year. Nothing is known of the emperor’s brother Priscus after the outbreak of Iotapianus‘ revolt: and it seems likely that he died either naturally or as a result of the uprising.<\/p>\n

Defeat and Death<\/h3>\n

Iotapianus<\/b><\/a> was eventually defeated and killed in the East, as was Pacatianus<\/b><\/a> along the Danube. [[19]]<\/b><\/a> To restore discipline among the Danubian troops, Philip sent as the new commander Decius<\/b><\/a>, a native of the region. The appointment proved a dangerous blunder. The disgruntled soldiers, still eager for decisive leadership and decisive victories, revolted yet again in the late spring of 249 and proclaimed Decius <\/b><\/a> emperor. Philip marched out from Rome to face the approaching troops of Decius. In late summer, the two armies met outside Verona. Philip’s troops were bested, and the emperor either died in the battle or was assassinated by his troops. When news of Philip’s defeat and death reached Rome, the praetorian guard murdered Philip’s son and colleague. [[20]]<\/b><\/a>
\nPhilip the Arabian remains an enigmatic figure because different authors evaluated his reign with wildly divergent interpretations. Christian authors of late antiquity praised the man they regarded as the first Christian emperor. Pagan historians saw Philip as indecisive, treacherous and weak. Our lack of detailed knowledge about the reign makes any analysis highly speculative. Nonetheless, Philip’s provincial and administrative background represents continuity with features of Severan government. His career has its closest parallel with that of Macrinus<\/b><\/a>, an equestrian from the provinces who, a quarter of a century earlier, capped an administrative career by moving from the office of praetorian prefect to that of emperor. In the struggle to maintain legitimacy, Philip faced revolts and upheavals in several corners of the empire. He was able to overcome these challenges for half a decade. The empire remained fundamentally sound and stable during his reign. The great disruptions of the third century were yet to come.<\/p>\n

Primary Sources:<\/h3>\n