Balista or Ballista (died ''c.'' 261), also known in the sources with the name of "Callistus", was one of the

Thirty Tyrants The Thirty Tyrants ( grc, οἱ τριάκοντα τύραννοι, ''hoi triákonta týrannoi'') were a pro-Spartan oligarchy installed in Athens after its defeat in the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. Upon Lysander's request, the Thirty were elec ...

of the controversial ''

Historia Augusta The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, designated heirs and usurpers from 117 to 284. Supposedly modeled on the si ...

'', and supported the rebellion of the

Macriani Macriani is the name of three Roman usurpers - a father and two sons - who tried to gain the Roman throne from Emperor Gallienus. All three died in 261 A.D. They were: *Macrianus Major, the father *Macrianus Minor, first son *Quietus Titus Fulv ...

against Emperor

Gallienus Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (; c. 218 – September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empi ...

History

Balista was the

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...

under Valerian. After the

Persian Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest emp ...

defeated and captured that emperor in the

Battle of Edessa The Battle of Edessa took place between the armies of the Roman Empire under the command of Emperor Valerian and Sasanian forces under Shahanshah (King of the Kings) Shapur I in 260. The Roman army was defeated and captured in its entirety ...

, a body of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

troops was rallied by a fiscal officer, Macrianus, and Balista. Joined, in some accounts, by Odaenathus, the ''Lord of Palmyra'', they routed the Persian army that was returning from the ravaging of

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern co ...

. Then Macrianus proclaimed his sons,

Macrianus Minor Titus Fulvius Iunius Macrianus (died 261), also known as Macrianus Minor, was a Roman usurper. He was the son of Fulvius Macrianus, also known as Macrianus Major.Jones, pg. 528 Career Although his father was from an equestrian family, Macria ...

and

Quietus Titus Fulvius Junius Quietus (died 261) was a Roman usurper against Roman Emperor Gallienus. History Quietus was the son of Fulvius Macrianus and a noblewoman, possibly named Junia. According to ''Historia Augusta'', he was a military tribu ...

, as emperors.D.S.Potter (2004), p.256 He stayed with Quietus in the East, while Macrianus and his elder son moved with the army against the West. In the Balkans, Macrianus were routed by the commander of Roman cavalry,

Aureolus Aureolus was a Roman military commander during the reign of Emperor Gallienus before he attempted to usurp the Roman Empire. After turning against Gallienus, Aureolus was killed during the political turmoil that surrounded the Emperor's assassina ...

, a general loyal to Gallienus, and killed. Then, according to some accounts, Gallienus invited Odaenathus to turn against his former allies, Ballista and Quietus. Neither the time nor manner of Balista's death can be ascertained with certainty, but it is believed to have happened about November 261, and to have been contrived by Odaenathus.J. Bray (1997), p.145 Another suggestion is that they were killed by their own men at Emesa.D.S.Potter (2004), p.259

In popular culture

Balista, under the name Marcus Clodius Balista is the hero of the

Warrior of Rome Series Harry Sidebottom is a British author and historian, best known for his two series of historical novels the ''Warrior of Rome'', and ''Throne of the Caesars''. He is Quondam Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History at St. Benet's Hall, Oxford, and l ...

by Harry Sidebottom.

Notes

References

* * Bray, John. ''Gallienus : A Study in Reformist and Sexual Politics'', Wakefield Press, Kent Town, 1997,
Körner, Christian, "Usurpers in the east: The Macriani and Ballista", s.v. "Usurpers under Gallienus", ''De Imperatoribus Romanis''
* Potter, David S. ''The Roman Empire at Bay AD 180–395'', Routledge, Oxon, 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Balista Thirty Tyrants (Roman) Gallienus usurpers 261 deaths Praetorian prefects Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Romans from unknown gentes Generals of Valerian