The empire was falling apart. He put it back together in five years.
This Aurelian canvas wall art features a cinematic portrait of the emperor who single-handedly rescued Rome from the brink of collapse, part of the Rome's Greatest Emperors collection. A commanding piece of historical wall art for the home, office, or study - and a thoughtful gift for history enthusiasts, classics lovers, and students of leadership. Stretched canvas, museum-quality resolution, premium matte finish, ready to hang the moment it arrives.
ABOUT AURELIAN (214 – 275 AD)
By 270 AD, the Roman Empire had effectively ceased to exist as a single entity. Decades of military anarchy had fractured it into three competing states. The economy was in ruins, the frontiers were collapsing under barbarian pressure, and the imperial office had become so unstable that Rome had burned through more than twenty emperors in fifty years. Into this chaos stepped Aurelian - a soldier of obscure origins and extraordinary ability who would spend the next five years doing something most Romans had stopped believing was possible.
He reunified the empire by force. In a series of campaigns of breathtaking speed and precision, he defeated the breakaway Palmyrene Empire in the east - led by the formidable Queen Zenobia - and then turned west and crushed the Gallic Empire before it could regroup. By 274 AD, the Roman world was one again. He did it without losing a major engagement.
He then turned to consolidation. He built new walls around Rome - the Aurelian Walls, much of which still stand today - reformed the currency, and stabilized the food supply. He took the title Restitutor Orbis: Restorer of the World. It was not an exaggeration.
He was assassinated in 275 AD by officers who feared, wrongly, that he was about to have them executed. Rome lost its most capable soldier at the moment it needed him most. What he accomplished in five years remains one of the most remarkable feats of individual leadership in ancient history.
PRODUCT FEATURES
- Available in 3 sizes, vertical orientation
- Museum-quality printing with Greenguard Gold certified inks
- Non-toxic latex inks, safe and eco-friendly
- Crafted from sustainable pine wood sourced from renewable forests
- Anti-slip rubber dot backing to secure canvas when hung
- Wipe clean gently with a damp cloth if needed
- Arrives ready to hang