A Brief History
Sometime in September 282, Roman Emperor Probus was murdered by his soldiers for unclear reasons due to different accounts in different sources.
Digging Deeper
Near the end of the biography of Probus’s predecessor, Tacitus, in the Historia Augusta, an ancient text possibly dating to the 4th century, the biographer speculates that had Probus “lived longer the world would contain no barbarians.” To dig deeper, I encourage you to read the full biographies of both Tacitus and Probus in this primary work and to also read at least one biography of Probus of a more modern nature that draws upon multiple sources. After having done so, perhaps you can better answer the question that follows.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What if Probus had lived longer? What else might he have accomplished?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Magie, David, trans. Historia Augusta, Volume III (Loeb Classical Library). Harvard University Press, 2022.
Syvänne, Dr. Ilkka. Aurelian and Probus: The Soldier Emperors Who Saved Rome. Pen and Sword Military, 2020.
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