Jotapian
Usurper in Syria and Cappadocia AD 248 (circa)
Marcus Fulvius Rufus Jotapianus.
Jotapian was a provincial from the Near East related to the former ruling house of Commagene in Syria and claimed a relation to the line of Severus Alexander as well. Toward the end of the reign of Philip the Arab, the excessive taxation imposed by his brother Priscus, appointed the governorship of Mesopotamia cause some of the soldiers stationed in the region to proclaim him Augustus. His revolt, coinciding with the raising of Pacatian, a high officer in one of the Danubian legions, threw Philip into such despair that the shaken emperor appeared before the Senate and offered to step down from the throne. The senators demurred, for good reason. Pacatian was almost immediately killed by his soldiers, which took off some of the pressure on Philip; his worries were alleviated soon thereafter for the Syrian legionaries followed the example of their Danubian brethren and murdered Jotapian too.
Mints: Asia (uncertain locastion in Syria or Capadocia)
List all Jotapian coins in the Catalog.
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