Geta - Roman Caesar: 198-209 A.D. - Emperor: 209-211 A.D. -
Bronze Assarion 19mm (3.0 grams) Mint of Anchialus, Thrace: 193-209
A.D.
CEΠTI ΓETAC K, youthful, draped bust right.
AГХIAΛEΩN, Eagle standing, facing, head left.
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Pomorie (Bulgarian:
Поморие; formerly known as Αγχίαλος
Anchialos in
Greek, Anchialus in
Latin) is a town
and seaside resort in southeastern
Bulgaria,
located on a narrow rocky peninsula in
Burgas Bay
on the southern
Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is located in
Burgas Province 20 km from
Burgas and 18
km from
Sunny Beach. The ultrasaline lagoon
Lake
Pomorie, the northernmost of the
Burgas
Lakes, lies in the immediate proximity.
It is the center of
Pomorie Municipality.
Pomorie is an ancient city and today an important tourist destination. As of
September 2005[update]
it has a population of 14,600 and the mayor is Petar Zlatanov. It lies at
42°33′N
27°39′E
/ 42.55°N
27.65°E / 42.55; 27.65.
Possibly founded in the 5th or 4th century BC as a colony of Apollonia (today
Sozopol),
Anchialos was mentioned in
Strabo's
Geographica as a small town. It was briefly captured by Messembria (Nesebar)
in the 2nd century BC, but reconquered by Apollonia and its fortified walls
destroyed. The name Anchialos is derived from
Ancient Greek "anchi-" ("near, close to") and "als-" (either "salt" or a
poetic and uncommon word for "sea").
The western Black Sea coast was ultimately conquered by the
Romans
under
Marcus Licinius Crassus in 29-28 BC after continuous campaigns in the area
since 72-71. The fortified wall was meanwhile rebuilt, as evidenced by
Ovid in 9 AD en
route to
Tomis. In the early 1st century AD Anchialos was the centre of a
strategia of the vassal
Odrysian kingdom, and the town had a
Thracian
population in the 6th century AD according to the early
Byzantine historian
Procopius.
As the Odrysian kingdom's self-independence was abolished in 45 AD, Anchialos
became part of the
Roman province of
Thrace and was
formally proclaimed a city under Emperor
Trajan. At the
time the city controlled a vast territory bordering that of Augusta Trajana (Stara
Zagora) and reaching the
Tundzha to
the west, bordering that of Messembria to the north and the southern shore of
Lake
Burgas to the south. Anchialos acquired the appearance of a Roman city and
thrived considerably in the 2nd and 3rd century under the
Severan Dynasty, seving as the most important import and export station of
Thrace.
Publius Septimius Geta (March
7, 189–December
26, 211),
was a
Roman Emperor co-ruling with his father
Septimius Severus and his older brother
Caracalla
from 209 to his death.
Early
life
Geta was the younger son of Septimius Severus by his second wife
Julia
Domna. Geta was born in
Rome, at a time
when his father was only a provincial governor at the service of emperor
Commodus.
Geta was always in a place secondary to his older brother Lucius, the heir
known as Caracalla. Perhaps due to this, the relations between the two were
difficult from their early years. Conflicts were constant and often required the
mediation of their mother. To appease his youngest son, Septimius Severus gave
Geta the title of Augustus in 209. During the campaign against the
Britons of the early 3rd century, the imperial propaganda publicized a happy
family that shared the responsibilities of rule. Caracalla was his father's
second in command, Julia Domna the trusted counsellor and Geta had
administrative and bureaucratic duties. Truth was that the rivalry and antipathy
between the brothers was far from being improved.
Joint
Emperor
When Septimius Severus died in
Eboracum in the
beginning of 211, Caracalla and Geta were proclaimed joint emperors and returned
to Rome.
Regardless, the shared throne was not a success: the brothers argued about
every decision, from law to political appointments. Later sources speculate
about the desire of the two of splitting the empire in two halves. By the end of
the year, the situation was unbearable. Caracalla tried to murder Geta during
the festival of
Saturnalia
without success. Later in December he arranged a meeting with his brother in his
mother's apartments, and had him murdered in her arms by
centurions.
Following Geta's assassination, Caracalla
damned his memoryy and ordered his name to be removed from all inscriptions.
The now sole emperor also took the opportunity to get rid of his political
enemies, on the grounds of conspiracy with the deceased.
Cassius
Dio
[1]
stated that around 20,000 persons of both sexes were killed and/or proscribed
during this time.
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