Diocletian
Roman emperorAlternative titles: Diocles; Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus
Diocletian, Latin in full Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, original name Diocles(born 245 ce, Salonae?, Dalmatia [now Solin, Croatia]—died 316, Salonae)Roman emperor (284–305 ce), who restored efficient government to the empire after the near anarchy of the 3rd century. His reorganization of the fiscal, administrative, and military machinery of the empire laid the foundation for theByzantine Empire in the East and temporarily shored up the decaying empire in the West. His reign is also noted for the last great persecution of the Christians
iocletian’s biography has been obscured by legends, rhetoric, the dubiousness of documents, and the hostility of his adversaries. Little is known of his origins. His father was a scribe or the emancipated slave of a senator called Anullinus. Diocletian’s complete name, found in official inscriptions, is given as Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus. He received the name Diocles first, then the name Valerius, after the name of his daughter, Valeria, who married Galerius in 293. The gens name Aurelius did not appear until March 1, 286—that is, until after his accession. Nothing is known of his wife, Prisca, other than what the contemporary Latin Christian writer Lactantius Firmianus says in his De mortibus persecutorum, which is of debatable veracity. Diocles, having adopted the name Diocletianus, entered history like so many of those emperors who emerged from the shadows through force of arms, brought to power by the army. What is known of his appearance is based on coin effigies and on sculptures. From these it appears that he was tall and thin, with a large forehead, a short, strong nose, a hard mouth, and a determined chin.
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