Faces of Roman Emperors: Imperial Crisis & the Barracks Emperors

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by Arienne King
published on 25 February 2021

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Decius (Artistic Facial Reconstruction)

by Daniel Voshart
published on 25 October 2020

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Decius (Artistic Facial Reconstruction) — View Full-Size Image

Decius (r. 249-251 CE) was a popular Roman army commander who defeated the Goths in 248 CE and was proclaimed emperor by the troops. Decius had the support of the Roman Senate and the army, allowing him to overthrow his predecessor Philip the Arab (r. 244-249 CE). He is known for persecuting the Christians and Jews and making participation in Roman religious rites mandatory. Although uprisings marred his reign, Decius focused on the war with the Gothic king Cniva who invaded the Balkans. He and his son Herennius Etruscus (r. 251 CE) were killed in battle with the Goths at the Battle of Abritus in 251 CE.

Pictured alongside the reconstruction is the bust of Decius from the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.

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Original image by Daniel Voshart. Uploaded by Arienne King, published on 25 October 2020. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Copyright. You cannot use, copy, distribute, or modify this item without explicit permission from the author. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.