page_title: Aurelian
section_title: Defending Italy against the Iuthungi
hierarchical_section_title: Aurelian / Emperor / Reunification of the empire / Defending Italy against the Iuthungi
caption_attribution_description: Roma , Porta Asinaria (San Giovanni)
context_page_description: Aurelian was Roman emperor from 270 to 275. His reign featured an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited the Roman Empire after it had practically disintegrated under the pressure of barbarian invasions and internal revolts. His successes were instrumental in ending the Crisis of the Third Century, earning him the title Restitutor Orbis – "Restorer of the World".
  Born in humble circumstances, he rose through the military ranks to become emperor. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following year he conquered the Gallic Empire in the west, reuniting the Empire in its entirety. He was also responsible for the construction of the Aurelian Walls in Rome, the abandonment of the province of Dacia, and monetary reform. Although Domitian, two centuries previous, was the first emperor who had demanded to be officially hailed as dominus et deus, these titles never occurred in written form on official documents until the reign of Aurelian.
context_section_description: The burden of the northern barbarians was not yet over, however. In 271, the Alamanni moved towards Italia, entering the Po plain and sacking the villages; they passed the Po River, occupied Placentia and moved towards Fano. Aurelian, who was in Pannonia to control the Vandals' withdrawal, quickly entered Italia, but his army was defeated in an ambush near Placentia (January 271). When the news of the defeat arrived in Rome, it caused great fear for the arrival of the barbarians. But Aurelian attacked the Alamanni camping near the Metaurus River, defeating them in the Battle of Fano, and forcing them to re-cross the Po river; Aurelian finally routed them at  Pavia. For this, he received the title Germanicus Maximus. However, the menace of the Germanic people and a Germanic invasion was still perceived by the Romans as likely, so Aurelian resolved to build a new system of walls around Rome that became known as the Aurelian Walls.
caption: The Porta Asinara, a gate in the Aurelian Walls.
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