VALERIANVS I. (Caius Publius Licinius), who had been voted worthy of the honour of the Censorship under the Emperor Decius, was unanimously elected Emperor in A.D. 253, solely on account of his merits, and associated with him his eldest son Gallenus. In A.D. 258 he started for the East to repel the attacks of Sapor, and in the following year was successful in re-capturing Antioch from the Persians, commemorated by coins with the legend VICT. PART., and VICTORIA PARTHICA. Valerian having entrusted the further conduct of the war against Sapor to Macrianus, his Praetorian prefect, the latter purposely betrayed the Roman army, and the Emperor was taken in A.D. 260, and died in captivity. Of his treatment during his captivity, there are conflicting statements, but the bas-reliefs do not give any representation of extreme degradation. On two it is thought that he is shown doing homage to Cyriades, the usurper set up by Sapor (Rawlinson, Seventh Anc. Mon. pp. 82,91) [VABALATHVS], but generally Sapor seems to have treated his prisoner with consideration, and to have made use of his engineering talents.
