Trebellianus

Who was Trebellianus?

Caius Annius Trebellianus, also Trebatius Priscus or Trebatius Testa, was a Roman usurper listed among the thirty tyrants in the Historia Augusta. Modern historians consider this figure a character invented by the author of Historia, whose traditional name was Trebonianus Pollius.

According to Historia, Trebellianus was a Cilician robber, who called his castle in the fastnesses of the Isaurian mountains the Palatium, established a mint, and gave himself the title of emperor. But having been tempted to quit his stronghold and descend into the plain, he was there encountered and slain by Causisoleus, an Egyptian, one of the generals of Gallienus, brother of Theodotus who had defeated Mussius Aemilianus.

Trebellianus is also cited by Eutropius. The passage is considered a later interpolation, or an error for "Regalianus" — and in fact several editions of Eutropius amend the text with Regalianus. In the latter case, it is possible that this passage gave inspiration to the author of Historia for its Trebellianus.