For 50 years (between 235 and 284), the Roman empire experienced an unprecedented succession of challenges. Some were external, such as the expansionary ambitions of the Sasanids in the east and the pressure from tribes on the Danube and Rhine frontiers, and others (even more dangerous) were internal, as unsuccessful emperors were repeatedly challenged by their leading generals. In the 260 s the empire appeared to be fragmenting as Palmyra took control of much of the eastern frontier while Gaul was controlled by separatist emperors. Eventually energetic campaigning by Aurelian stabilized the situation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.