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.
The Antoninianus of Silbannacus discovered in the 1930s. The inscription reads imp mar silbannacvs avg.
Both sides of the first Antoninianus of Silbannacus, discovered in the 1930s
Both sides of the second Antoninianus of Silbannacus, discovered in the 1980s
Crisis of the Third Century
The Crisis of the Third Century, also known as the Military Anarchy or the Imperial Crisis (235–285), was a period in Roman history during which the Roman Empire had nearly collapsed under the combined pressure of repeated foreign invasions, civil wars and economic disintegration. At the height of the crisis, the Roman state had split into three distinct and competing polities.
Gothic raids in the 3rd century
Emperor Diocletian. With his rise to power in 284, the Crisis of the Third Century ended and gave rise to the Tetrarchy
Image: Maximinus Thrax Musei Capitolini MC473 (cropped)
Image: Gordian I Musei Capitolini MC475
