Editing Numerian (section)

==Early life and Carus' reign==
[[File:Portrait head of a Roman man (Boston MFA 58.1005) 02.jpg|thumb|Possible portrait head of Numerian in the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Portraiture of Emperor Numerian |url=http://rome101.com/Portraiture/Numerian/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=rome101.com}}</ref>|left]]
Numerian was the younger son of [[Carus]].<ref name="Leadbetter, Carus.">Leadbetter, "Carus."</ref> In 282, the legions of the upper Danube in [[Raetia]] and [[Noricum]] proclaimed as emperor Numerian's father, the [[praetorian prefect]] Marcus Aurelius [[Carus]], after a mutiny against the emperor [[Marcus Aurelius Probus|Probus]], in which the latter was killed.<ref>Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', p. 4; Leadbetter, "Carus"; Odahl, ''Constantine and the Christian Empire'', p. 39; Southern, ''Severus to Constantine'', p. 132; Williams, ''Diocletian'', p. 32.</ref> By one account, Carus had ''himself'' rebelled against the emperor, and Probus' army, stationed in [[Sirmium]] ([[Sremska Mitrovica]], [[Serbia]]), decided they did not wish to fight Carus and assassinated their emperor instead.<ref>Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', p. 4; Odahl, ''Constantine and the Christian Empire'', p. 39; Southern, ''Severus to Constantine'', p. 132.</ref> According to the ''[[Historia Augusta]]'', Carus was not responsible for Probus's death, and inflicted severe punishment upon the murderers.<ref>[[Edward Gibbon]], ''The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'' (The Modern Library, 1932), ch. XII., pp. 291, 292</ref> Carus, already sixty, wished to establish a dynasty<ref>Odahl, ''Constantine and the Christian Empire'', p. 39; Southern, ''Severus to Constantine'', p. 132; Williams, ''Diocletian'', p. 32.</ref> and immediately elevated Carinus and Numerian to the rank of [[Caesar (title)|Caesar]].<ref>Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', p. 4; Odahl, ''Constantine and the Christian Empire'', p. 39; Williams, ''Diocletian'', p. 32.</ref>

In 283, Carus left Carinus in charge of the West and moved with Numerian and his praetorian prefect [[Arrius Aper]] to the East to wage war against the [[Sassanid Empire]]. The Sassanids had been embroiled in a succession dispute since the death of Shapur and were in no position to oppose Carus' advance.<ref>Leadbetter, "Carus"; Odahl, ''Constantine and the Christian Empire'', p. 39.</ref><ref>Gibbon, pp. 294, 295</ref>

According to [[Joannes Zonaras|Zonaras]], [[Eutropius (historian)|Eutropius]], and [[Festus (historian)|Festus]], Carus won a major victory against the Persians, taking [[Seleucia]] and the Sassanid capital of [[Ctesiphon]] (near modern [[Al-Mada'in]], [[Iraq]]), cities on opposite banks of the [[Tigris]].<ref>Zonaras, 12.30; Eutropius, 9.14.1; Festus, 24; Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', 4; Leadbetter, "Carus"; Odahl, ''Constantine and the Christian Empire'', p. 39; Potter, ''The Roman Empire at Bay'', p. 279; Williams, ''Diocletian'', p. 33.</ref> In celebration, Numerian, Carus, and Carinus all took the [[Victory title#Roman victory titles|title]] ''Persici maximi''.<ref>Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', p. 4; Leadbetter, "Carus."</ref> Carus died in July or early August of 283,<ref name="Leadbetter, Carus."/> allegedly due to a strike of lightning.<ref>Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', p. 4; Leadbetter, "Carus"; Odahl, ''Constantine and the Christian Empire'', p. 39; Southern, ''Severus to Constantine'', p. 133; Williams, ''Diocletian'', pp. 33–34.</ref>

=== Numerian and Carinus as Augusti ===
The death of Carus left Numerian and Carinus as the new [[Augustus (title)|Augusti]]. Carinus quickly made his way to Rome from Gaul, arriving in January 284, while Numerian lingered in the East.<ref name="BNSCE4">Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', p. 4.</ref> The Roman retreat from Persia was orderly and unopposed, for the Persian King, [[Bahram II]], was still struggling to establish his authority.<ref name="SSC133">Southern, ''Severus to Constantine'', p. 133.</ref>

By March 284, Numerian had only reached Emesa ([[Homs]]) in [[Syria]]; by November, only [[Asia Minor]].<ref>Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', p. 4; Leadbetter, "Numerianus."</ref> In Emesa he was apparently still alive and in good health, as he issued the only extant [[rescript]] in his name there.<ref>''[[Codex Justinianeus]]'' 5.52.2; Leadbetter, "Numerianus"; Potter, ''The Roman Empire at Bay'', p. 279.</ref> Coins were issued in his name in [[Cyzicus]] at some time before the end of 284, but it is impossible to know whether he was still in the public eye by that point.<ref>''Roman Imperial Coinage'' 5.2 Numerian no. 462; Potter, ''The Roman Empire at Bay'', pp. 279–80).</ref>

After Emesa, Numerian's staff, including the prefect Aper, reported that Numerian suffered from an inflammation of the eyes and had to travel in a closed coach.<ref>Leadbetter, "Numerianus."</ref> When the army reached [[Bithynia]],<ref name="BNSCE4"/> or [[Thrace]],<ref name="Gibbon, p. 301">Gibbon, p. 301</ref> some of Numerian's soldiers smelled an odor reminiscent of a decaying corpse emanating from the coach.<ref name="SSC133"/> They opened its curtains and found Numerian dead.<ref>Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', p. 4; Leadbetter, "Numerianus"; Odahl, ''Constantine and the Christian Empire'', p. 39; Williams, ''Diocletian'', p. 35.</ref>

=== After Numerian's death ===
Aper officially broke the news of Numerian's death in [[Nicomedia]] ([[İzmit]]) in November 284,<ref name = "P280"/> and the discovery, which the prefect attempted to conceal, as due to the forwardness of the soldiery, who forced open the Imperial tent to investigate for themselves the situation of their invisible monarch.<ref name="Gibbon, p. 301"/> Numerian's generals and tribunes called a council for the succession, which met at [[Chalcedon]] across the [[Bosphorus]], where they chose as emperor [[Diocletian]], commander of the cavalry arm of the imperial bodyguard,<ref>Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', p. 4; Barnes, ''New Empire'', p. 31; Bowman, "Diocletian", p. 68; Mathisen, "Diocletian"; Williams, ''Diocletian'', p. 33, 35-36.</ref> despite Aper's attempts to garner support.<ref name="P280">Potter, ''The Roman Empire at Bay'', p. 280.</ref> The army of the east unanimously saluted their new Augustus. Diocletian accepted the purple imperial vestments and raised his sword to the light of the sun, swearing an oath denying responsibility for Numerian's death. He asserted that Aper had killed Numerian and concealed the deed. In full view of the army, Diocletian then turned and killed Aper, who had been hauled bound before the assembly.<ref>Barnes, ''Constantine and Eusebius'', pp. 4–5; Leadbetter, "Numerian"; Odahl, ''Constantine and the Christian Empire'', pp. 39–40; Williams, ''Diocletian'', p. 37.</ref>