Taurinius (also called Taurinus) was a Roman usurper 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 () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...

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. 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 The ''Epitome de Caesaribus'' is a Latin historical work written at the end of the 4th century. It is a brief account of the reigns of the Roman emperors from Augustus to Theodosius the Great. It is attributed to Aurelius Victor, but was written ...

'' 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 includ ...

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 A breviary (Latin: ''breviarium'') is a liturgical book used in Christianity for praying the canonical hours, usually recited at seven fixed prayer times. Historically, different breviaries were used in the various parts of Christendom, such a ...

'', and is not found in any other literary or

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

*''

'' 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 Romans from unknown gentes Deaths by drowning