AIIRELIA'NUS, Lucius Dominus—also named CLAUDIUS DonITIUS and VALERITS —one of the most powerful of the Roman emperors, was of very humble origin, his father having been a husbandman. He was b. about A.D. 212, and enlisting early as a common soldier, he rapidly distinguished himself, and held the highest military offices tinder Valerianus and Claudius H. On the death of Claudius (A.D. 270), A. was elected mperor by the army. He commenced his reign by vigorous opposition to the barbarian Alemanni, or Marcomanni, whom he expelled. Thereafter, he commenced the erection of a new line of fortified walls round Home, which were not completed till the reign of Probus (A.D. 2761. Their ruins still mark the boundaries of Rome in the time of Aure lian. Finding that the province of Dacia (now Wallachia) could not be maintained against the assaults of the Goths, he surrendered it, on certain conditions, and strength ened the frontier of the Roman empire by making the Danube its boundary. He next turned his attention to the east, where the renowned queen, Zenobia (q.v.), had extended
her sway from Syria to Asia Minor and Egypt. A. defeated her in two battles, and besieged her in Palmyra, from which she attempted to escape, when she saw defense would prove unavailing. She was, however, taken prisoner, and soon after the city sur rendered, and was treated leniently. Shortly after A. had departed, a new insurrection took place. Ile returned in 273, and gave the splendid city up to destruction. A. was again called to the cast by a rebellion in Egypt, instigated by Firmus, a merchant of great influence, which he speedily quelled. Besides, Tetrieus, who had held imperial power in Gaul since before the death of Gallienus, finding himself unable to wield. sur rendered it to Aurelian. By restoring good discipline in the army, order in domestic affairs, and political unity to the Roman dominions, A. merited the title awarded to him q the senate—• restorer of the Roman empire." He fell a victim to conspiracy during his campaign against the Persians (A.D. 270).