Taurinius (also called Taurinus) was a

Roman usurper Roman usurpers were individuals or groups of individuals who obtained or tried to obtain power by force and without legitimate legal authority. Usurpation was endemic during the Roman imperial era, especially from the crisis of the third centu ...

who revolted against Severus Alexander in 232AD. He was declared emperor by the legions stationed in Roman Mesopotamia when they rebelled, due to the invasion of the Sassanids in 229AD. His revolt was swiftly crushed by Alexander, in late summer of 232AD, and he drowned in the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

while attempting to flee to Sassanid territory.

History

In 229AD, during the reign of Emperor Severus Alexander, the Sassanids invaded Roman Mesopotamia. This led to a rebellion, in 232AD, by the provincial garrison. During this rebellion, Flavius Heracleo was killed, and the legion proclaimed Taurinius

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

. In the late summer of 232AD, Alexander arrived to crush the revolt. Taurinius fled, and drowned while attempting to cross the

into Sassanid territory.

Historiography

The '' Epitome de Caesaribus'' refers to him as Taurinius, and says that he revolted against Emperor Severus Alexander, and was declared ''augustus''. He is said to have thrown himself into the Euphrates on account of fear of Severus Alexander. It is noted that this is the only mention of any event during Alexander's reign made by the ''Epitome de Caesaribus''. Zonaras makes similar mention of him, but refers to him as Taurinus. Taurinius never controlled a mint, so no

numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

evidence of his revolt remains. Although mentioned in the ''Epitome de Caesaribus'', Taurinius is noticeably absent from Aurelius Victors '' De Caesaribus'', and Eutropiuss '' Breviarium historiae Romanae'', and is not found in any other

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...

epigraphic Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

evidence.

References

Primary sources

*'' Epitome de Caesaribus'' 24.2.

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * *{{cite book, last1=Pearson, first1=Paul N., title=Maximinus Thrax: From Common Soldier to Emperor of Rome, date=2017, publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., isbn=9781510708754 232 deaths Crisis of the Third Century 3rd-century Roman usurpers Year of birth unknown Ancient Romans from unknown gentes Deaths by drowning