Valerian
Publius Licinius Valerianus
Roman emperor from 253 to 260, he was taken captive by Shapur I of Persia. He was thus the first emperor to be captured as a prisoner of war.
Biography
of Valerian
TNMP 173
Roman Emperor from 253 to spring 260. Valerian sent two letters to the Senate ordering firm action against the Christians. He was then taken prisoner by the Persian emperor Shapur I after the Battle of Edessa, becoming the first Roman emperor to be captured as a prisoner of war, which caused shock and instability throughout the Roman Empire.
According to the testimony of Flavius Vopiscus, Valerian never forgot the cave where his mother initiated him. In Rome, he established a college of solar priests and his coins bear the legend 'Sol, Dominus Imperii Romani'.
Mentions
Coin of Valerian and Sol
TNMM 557
This coin was deposited in the upper level of the throne in the cult niche of the Mitreo della Planta Pedis.