Philip the Arab(Latin:Marcus Julius Philippus "Arabs";c.204 September 249) wasRoman emperorfrom 244 to 249. He was born inAurantis,Arabia, in a city situated in modern-daySyria. After the death ofGordian IIIin February 244, Philip, who had beenPraetorian prefect, achieved power. He quickly negotiated peace with the PersianSassanid Empireand returned to Rome to be confirmed by the Senate. During his reign, the city of Rome celebrated its millennium.Philip was betrayed and killed at theBattle of Veronain September 249 following a rebellion led by his successor,Gaius Messius Quintus Decius. Philip's reign of five years was uncommonly stable in a turbulent third century. During the late 3rd century and into the 4th, it was held by some churchmen that Philip had been the first Christian emperor; he was described as such inJerome'sChronicon(Chronicle), which was well known during the Middle Ages, inOrosius' highly popularHistoria Adversus Paganos(History Against the Pagans), and was presented as a Christian inEusebius of Caesarea'sHistoria Ecclesiastica(Ecclesiastical History).Modern scholars are divided on the issue. Little is known about Philip's early life and political career. He was born in what is todayShahba,Syria, about 90 kilometres (56mi) southeast ofDamascus, inTrachonitis.His birth city, later renamed Philippopolis, lay withinAurantis, an Arab district which at the time was part of theRoman provinceofArabia.It is accepted by historians that Philip was indeed an ethnicArab.He was the son of a local citizen,Julius Marinus, possibly of some importance.Allegations from later Roman sources (Historia AugustaandEpitome de Caesaribus) that Philip had a very humble origin or even that his father was a leader of brigands are not accepted by modern historians. While the name of Philip's mother is unknown, he did have a brother,Gaius Julius Priscus, anequestrianand a member of thePraetorian GuardunderGordian III(238244).In 234, Philip marriedMarcia Otacilia Severa, daughter of a Roman Governor. They had three children, a son named Marcus Julius Philippus Severus (Philip II), born in 238, a daughter called Julia Severa or Severina who is known from numismatic evidence but is never mentioned by the ancient Roman sources and a son named Quintus Philippus Severus, born in 247. The rise to the purple of theSeveransfrom nearbyEmesais noted as a motivational factor in Philip's own ascent, due to geographic and ethnic similarity between himself and theEmesanemperors. Accession to the throne Rock-face relief atNaqsh-e RustamofShapur I(on horseback) with Philip the Arab andEmperor Valeriankneeling in surrender to the Persian king. Philip's rise to prominence began through the intervention of his brother Priscus, who was an important official under the emperorGordian III.His big break came in 243, during Gordian III's campaign againstShapur Iof Persia, when thePraetorian prefectTimesitheusdied 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 amilitary defeat, Gordian III died in February 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 thepurple robefollowing Gordian's death. Philip was not willing to repeat the mistakes of previous claimants, and was aware that he had to return toRomein order to secure his position with theSenate. However, his first priority was to conclude a peace treaty with Shapur, and withdraw the army from a potentially disastrous situation.Although Philip was accused of abandoning territory, the actual terms of the peace were not as humiliating as they could have been.Philip apparently retained Timesitheus reconquest ofOsroeneandMesopotamia, but he had to agree thatArmenialay within Persia's sphere of influence.He also had to pay an enormous indemnity to the Persians of 500,000 denarii.Philip immediately issued coins proclaiming that he had made peace with the Persians (pax fundata cum Persis). Leading his army back up theEuphrates, south ofCircesiumPhilip erected acenotaphin honor of Gordian III, but his ashes were sent ahead to Rome, where he arranged for Gordian III's deification.Whilst inAntioch, he left his brother Priscus as extraordinary ruler of the Eastern provinces, with the title ofrector Orientis.Moving westward, he gave his brother-in-law Severianus control of the provinces ofMoesiaandMacedonia.He arrived in Rome in the late summer of 244, where he was confirmedAugustus.Before the end of the year, he nominated his young sonCaesarand heir, his wife,Marcia Otacilia Severa, was named Augusta, and he also deified his father Marinus, even though the latter had never been emperor.While in Rome, Philip also claimed an official victory over the Persians with the titles ofParthicus Adiabenicus,Persicus MaximusandParthicus Maximus. Reign In an attempt to shore up his regime, Philip put a great deal of effort in maintaining good relations with the Senate, and from the beginning of his reign, he reaffirmed the old Roman virtues and traditions.He quickly ordered an enormous building program in his home town, renaming itPhilippopolis, and raising it to civic status, while he populated it with statues of himself and his family.He also introduced the Actia-Dusaria Games inBostra, capital of Arabia. This festival combined the worship ofDushara, the main Nabataean deity, with commemoration of theBattle of Actium, as part of theRoman Imperial cult. The creation of the new city of Philippopolis, piled on top of the massive tribute owed to the Persians, as well as the necessarydonativumto the army to secure its acceptance of his accession, made Philip desperately short of money.To pay for it, he ruthlessly increased levels of taxation, while at the same time he ceased paying subsidies to the tribes north of theDanubethat were vital for keeping the peace on the frontiers. Both decisions would have significant impacts upon the empire and his reign. At the frontiers of the empire In 245, Philip was forced to leave Rome as the stability established by Timesitheus was undone by a combination of his death, Gordian's defeat in the east and Philip's decision to cease paying the subsidies.[7][29]TheCarpimoved throughDacia, crossed theDanubeand emerged inMoesiawhere they threatened theBalkans.Establishing his headquarters inPhilippopolisinThrace, he pushed the Carpi across the Danube and chased them back into Dacia, so that by the summer of 246, he claimed victory against them, along with the title "Carpicus Maximus".In the meantime, theArsacids of Armeniarefused to acknowledge the authority of the Persian king Shapur I, and war with Persia flared up again by 245. Ludi Saeculares Cippus commemorating Rome's millennium. Inscription: IMP. PHILIPPVS AVG. / SAECVLARES AVGG. Nevertheless, Philip was back in Rome by August 247, where he poured more money into the most momentous event of his reign theLudi Saeculares, which coincided with the one thousandth anniversary of the foundation of Rome.So in April 248 AD (April 1001A.U.C.), Philip had the honor of leading the celebrations of the one thousandth birthday of Rome, which according to tradition wasfoundedon April 21, 753 BC byRomulus. Commemorative coins, such as the one illustrated at left, were issued in large numbers and, according to contemporary accounts, the festivities were magnificent and included spectacular games,ludi saeculares, and theatrical presentations throughout the city.In theColosseum, in what had been originally prepared for Gordian III's plannedRoman triumphover the Persians,more than 1,000gladiatorswere 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, includingAsinius Quadratus'History of a Thousand Years, specially prepared for the anniversary.At the same time, Philip elevated his son to the rank of co-Augustus. Downfall Despite the festive atmosphere, there were continued problems in the provinces. In late 248, the legions ofPannoniaandMoesia, dissatisfied with the result of the war against the Carpi, rebelled and proclaimedTiberius Claudius Pacatianusemperor. The resulting confusion tempted theQuadiand otherGermanic tribesto cross the frontier and raidPannonia.At the same time, theGothsinvaded Moesia and Thrace across theDanubefrontier, and laid siege toMarcianopolis, as the Carpi, encouraged by the Gothic incursions, renewed their assaults in Dacia and Moesia.Meanwhile, in the East,Marcus Jotapianusled another uprising in response to the oppressive rule ofPriscusand the excessive taxation of the Eastern provinces.Two other usurpers,Marcus SilbannacusandSponsianus, are reported to have started rebellions without much success. Overwhelmed by the number of invasions and usurpers, Philip offered to resign, but the Senate decided to throw its support behind the emperor, with a certainGaius Messius Quintus Deciusmost vocal of all the senators.Philip was so impressed by his support that he dispatched Decius to the region with a special command encompassing all of the Pannonian and Moesian provinces. This had a dual purpose of both quelling the rebellion of Pacatianus as well as dealing with the barbarian incursions. Although Decius managed to quell the revolt, discontent in the legions was growing.Decius was proclaimed emperor by the Danubian armies in the spring of 249 and immediately marched on Rome.Yet even before he had left the region, the situation for Philip had turned even more sour. Financial difficulties had forced him to debase theantoninianus, as rioting began to occur in Egypt, causing disruptions to Rome's wheat supply and further eroding Philip's support in the capital. Although Decius tried to come to terms with Philip, Philip's army met the usurper near modernVeronathat summer. Decius easily won thebattleand Philip was killed sometime in September 249,[39][38]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.