ABSTRACT
Lucius Domitius Aurelianus was born on 9 September in the year 214 or 215. He was a career soldier of humble Balkan origins. He came from a peasant family in the region just south of the Danube, possibly in the vicinity of Serdica, modern Sofia, or somewhat further to the north-west in modern Serbia.1 Of his background and early life very little can be said with any degree of confidence. His native region was an especially rich source of recruitment, and like a good many of his compatriots Aurelian joined the army. As was customary, he probably did so at about the age of 20, that is around the year 235-the year Severus Alexander, the last of the Severan dynasty, was assassinated. Nothing is known of his career before he emerged from the shadows onto the centre stage of history during the sinister events of the summer of 268. By that time he was already in his early fifties and a senior officer in the central imperial field army. His promotion to that rank clearly indicates that he must have impressed those who commanded him.
