PHILIP I the ARAB 244AD Tarsus Cilicia Medallion Ancient Roman Coin Rare i48783

Description

Item:
i48783
Authentic Ancient Coin of:
<="" font="" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">
<="" font="" color="#000000">Philip I 'the Arab' - Roman Emperor: 244-249 A.D. -="">
Bronze Medallion 35mm (23.44 grams) of
Tarsus in Cilicia
Reference: SNG Levante -; SNG France 1729-1739
AVT KAI IOV ΦIΛIΠΠON ЄVT ЄVC CЄ around, Π - Π in field, radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right.
TAPCOV THC MHTPOΠOΛEΩC,
Tyche Soterios (Fortuna Redux) standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia,
A / M / K / Γ / B in left and right fields.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
Marcus Julius Philippus
or
Philippus I Arabs
(c. 204–249), known in
English
as
Philip the Arab
or formerly (prior to World War II) in English as
Philip the Arabian
, was a
Roman Emperor
from 244 to 249.
//
Little is known about Philip's early life and political career. He was born in
Shahba
, about 55 miles southeast of
Damascus
, in the
Roman province
of
Syria
. Philip has the nickname "the Arab" because he had family who had originated in the
Arabian peninsula
, believed to be distant descendants of the prestigious Baleed family of
Aleppo
. Philip was the son of a Julius Marinus, a local Roman citizen, possibly of some importance. Many historians
[1]
[2]
[3]
agree that he was of Arab descent who gained
Roman citizenship
through his father, a man of considerable influence. Many citizens from the provinces took Roman names upon acquiring citizenship. This makes tracing his Arabic blood line difficult. However, it is documented that Rome used the
Ghassan
tribe from the
Azd
of
Yemen
as vassals to keep the neighboring northern Arabs in check.
The name of Philip's mother is unknown, but sources refer to a brother,
Gaius Julius Priscus
, a member of the
Praetorian guard
under
Gordian III
(238–244). In 234, Philip married
Marcia Otacilia Severa
, daughter of a Roman Governor. They had two children: a son named Marcus Julius Philippus Severus (
Philippus II
) in 238 and according to numismatic evidence they had a daughter called Julia Severa or Severina, whom the ancient Roman sources don't mention.
Philip became a member of the
Pretorian Guard
during the reign of the emperor
Alexander Severus
, who was a Syrian. In ancient Rome the Pretorian Guard was closely associated with the emperor, serving among other things as the emperor's bodyguard.
Political career
In 243, during
Gordian III
's campaign against
Shapur I
of Persia, the
Praetorian prefect
Timesitheus
died under unclear circumstances. At the suggestion of his brother Priscus, Philip became the new Praetorian prefect, with the intention that the two brothers would control the young Emperor and rule the Roman world as unofficial regents. Following a military defeat, Gordian III died in 244 under circumstances that are still debated. While some claim that Philip conspired in his murder, other accounts (including one coming from the Persian point of view) state that Gordian died in battle. Whatever the case, Philip assumed the purple following Gordian's death. According to Edward Gibbon:
His rise from so obscure a station to the first dignities of the empire seems to prove that he was a bold and able leader. But his boldness prompted him to aspire to the throne, and his abilities were employed to supplant, not to serve, his indulgent master.
Philip was not willing to repeat the mistakes of previous claimants, and was aware that he had to return to
Rome
in order to secure his position with the
senate
. He thus travelled west, after concluding a peace treaty with Shapur I, and left his brother Priscus as extraordinary ruler of the Eastern provinces. In Rome he was confirmed
Augustus
, and nominated his young son
Caesar
and heir.
Philip's rule started with yet another
Germanic
incursion on the provinces of
Pannonia
and the
Goths
invaded
Moesia
(modern-day
Serbia
and
Bulgaria
) in the
Danube
frontier. They were finally defeated in the year 248, but the
legions
were not satisfied with the result, probably due to a low share of the plunder, if any. Rebellion soon arose and
Tiberius Claudius Pacatianus
was proclaimed emperor by the troops. The uprising was crushed and Philip nominated
Gaius Messius Quintus Decius
as governor of the province. Future events would prove this to be a mistake. Pacatianus' revolt was not the only threat to his rule: in the East,
Marcus Jotapianus
led another uprising in response to the oppressive rule of
Priscus
and the excessive taxation of the Eastern provinces. Two other usurpers,
Marcus Silbannacus
and
Sponsianus
, are reported to have started rebellions without much success.
In April
A.D.
248 (April 1000
A.U.C.
), Philip had the honour of leading the celebrations of the one thousandth birthday of Rome, which according to tradition was
founded
in 753 BC by
Romulus
. He combined the anniversary with the celebration of Rome's alleged tenth
saeculum
. According to contemporary accounts, the festivities were magnificent and included spectacular games,
ludi saeculares
, and theatrical presentations throughout the city. In the coliseum, more than 1,000 gladiators were killed along with hundreds of exotic animals including hippos, leopards, lions, giraffes, and one rhinoceros. The events were also celebrated in literature, with several publications, including
Asinius Quadratus
's
History of a Thousand Years
, specially prepared for the anniversary.
Despite the festive atmosphere, discontent in the legions was growing.
Decius
(249–251) was proclaimed Emperor by the Danubian armies in the spring of 249 and immediately marched to Rome. Philip's army met the usurper near modern
Verona
that summer. Decius won the battle and Philip was killed sometime in September 249, either in the fighting or assassinated by his own soldiers who were eager to please the new ruler. Philip's eleven-year-old son and heir may have been killed with his father and Priscus disappeared without a trace.
Religious beliefs
Further information:
Philip the Arab and Christianity
Some later traditions, first mentioned in the historian
Eusebius
in his
Ecclesiastical History
, held that Philip was the first
Christian
Roman emperor. This tradition seems to be based on reports in Eusebius that Philip allegedly had once entered a Christian service on Easter, after having been required by a bishop to confess his sins. Later versions located this event in Antioch.
However, historians generally identify the later Emperor Constantine, baptised on his deathbed, as the first Christian emperor, and generally describe Philip's adherence to Christianity as dubious, because non-Christian writers do not mention the fact, and because throughout his reign, Philip to all appearances (coinage, etc.) continued to follow the
state religion
. Critics ascribe Eusebius' claim as probably due to the tolerance Philip showed towards Christians.
Saint Quirinus of Rome
was, according to a legendary account, the son of Philip the Arab.
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