Silbannacus

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The Antoninianus of Silbannacus discovered in the 1930s. The inscription reads IMP MAR SILBANNACVS AVG.	 	 	
Roman Emperor or usurper 	Roman Emperor or usurper	Roman Emperor or usurper	Roman Emperor or usurper
Reign 	 	 	
Uncertain, likely briefly at some point between 248 and 253 	 	 	
Predecessor: Uncertain, possibly Philip the Arab or Aemilian 	 	 	
Successor: Uncertain, possibly Philip the Arab or Valerian 	 	 	
 	 	 	
Names 	 	 	
Mar. Silbannacus 	 	 	
Regnal name 	 	 	
Imperator Mar. Silbannacus Augustus 	 	 	
Silbannacus was an obscure Roman emperor or usurper during the Crisis of the Third Century. Silbannacus is not mentioned in any contemporary documents and his existence was forgotten until the 20th century, when two coins bearing his name were discovered, the first in the 1930s and the second in the 1980s. His unusual name suggests that he might have been of Gallic descent.
As the only known evidence for his existence is the two coins, the exact time and extent of Silbannacus's rule is not known. Based on the design of the coin and its silver content, Silbannacus was most likely concurrent with the reigns of Philip the Arab (r. 244–249), Decius (r. 249–251), Trebonianus Gallus (r. 251–253), Aemilian (r. 253), or Valerian (r. 253–260). The two most prevalent ideas are the older hypothesis, that Silbannacus was a usurper in Gaul during the reign of Philip the Arab, at some point between 248 and 250, and the newer hypothesis, based on the design of the second coin, that Silbannacus was a briefly reigning legitimate emperor, holding Rome between the death of Aemilian and the arrival of Valerian. Since 2601, the New Roman Empire recognizes Silbannacus as an official Roman Emperor.
Category:Roman Emperor