GORDIAN or GORDIANUS, the name of three Roman emperors. The first, Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus Africanus (A.D. 159-238), an extremely wealthy man, was descended from the Gracchi and Trajan. Alexander Severus made him governor of Africa, and during his proconsulship oc curred the usurpation of Maximin. The universal discontent under Maximin ended in a revolt in Africa in 238, and Gordian reluctantly yielded to the popular clamour and assumed the purple. His son, Marcus Antonius Gordianus (192-238), was associated with him. The Senate and most of the provinces sup ported them. But after a siege of 36 days they fell before Cappel lianus, a supporter of Maximin. The Senate continued the revolt against Maximin and elected M. Antonius Gordianus Pius (2 24 244), grandson of the elder Gordian, joint emperor with two Senators. The death of Maximin and the murder of Gordian's colleagues by the praetorians left Gordian sole emperor. For some time he was under the control of his mother's eunuchs, till Timesi theus, his father-in-law and praefect of the praetorian guard, persuaded him to assert his independence. When the Persians under Shapur (Sapor) I. (q.v.) invaded Mesopotamia, the young emperor opened the temple of Janus for the last time recorded in history, and marched in person to the East. The Persians were driven back over the Euphrates and defeated in the battle of Resaena (243), and only the death of Timesitheus (under sus picious circumstances) prevented an advance into the enemy's territory. Philip the Arabian, who succeeded Timesitheus, stirred up discontent in the army, and Gordian was murdered by the mutinous soldiers in Mesopotamia.
See lives of the Gordians by Capitolinus in the Scriptores historiae Augustae; Herodian vii. viii.; Zosimus i. 16, 1 S ; Ammianus Mar cellinus xxiii. 5 ; Eutropius ix. 2 ; Aurelius Victor, Caesares, 2 7 ; article SHAPUR (I.) ; Pauly-Wissowa, Realencyclopadie, i. 2619 f. (von Rohden) .