Pacatian

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Infobox royalty Template:Campaignbox Crisis of the Third Century

Pacatianus, known in English as Pacatian (Template:IPAc-en; Template:Langx; died c. 248) was a usurper in the Danube area of the Roman Empire during the time of Philip the Arab.

His life is known from mentions in the histories of Zosimus and Zonaras. However, the chronology of these accounts is obscure, and modern scholars use coinage to establish the timeline of his life and revolt.<ref>Potter 1990, p. 257</ref> Zonaras names him as a 'unit commander' of one of the Danube legions, possibly Legio VII Claudia.<ref>Pearson 2022, p. 21</ref> He was likely a leader in the effort to drive Gothic invaders out of Roman territory in 248, one of the first actions of the Gothic War.<ref>Pearson 2022, p. 22</ref> Either during this action or soon after he was acclaimed emperor by the Danube legions. Eventually his control extended to the city of Viminacium. According to Zosimus, the news of Pacatian's revolt in Moesia and of Jotapian's near-simultaneous reovlt in Syria prompted Philip to make an offer to the Roman Senate to step down. Both Zosimus and Zonoras relate that Philip was advised by the senator Decius, who predicted that Pacatian would soon be killed by his troops. This soon came to pass, and Philip (over Decius' objections) sent Decius to the Danube to find out the causes of the revolt. Decius was promptly acclaimed as emperor by the legions on the Danube, and (though Zonaras records that Decius offered to resign) eventually overcame Philip by the end of 249.<ref>Potter 1990, pp. 254–258</ref>