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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Cherd, post: 8080936, member: 24754&quot;]I&#039;ve been working on a coin labeling system that uses numbers for emperors and letters for non-emperors. I started with some default emperor lists that I obtained from different sources, but as I learn the stories behind the individuals, it seems to me that there is inconsistency in how the designation is determined.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus are the good examples (I assume that they are included on lists of emperors just so that the moniker &quot;Year of the Five Emperors&quot; makes sense):</p><p><br /></p><p>-Niger proclaimed himself emperor and was supported by some eastern provinces, but this doesn&#039;t differentiate him from a number of other people that are simply called &quot;usurpers&quot;.</p><p><br /></p><p>-Albinus is less clear cut. He was given the title of &quot;Caesar&quot; by Severus, but prior to Diocletian this simply meant &quot;heir&quot;, which doesn&#039;t differentiate him from a number of other people that were labeled as such and never reached the top. He was assumed to be in control of a significant portion of the western part of the Empire for a while though, so maybe that makes a difference. He also proclaimed himself emperor twice, but again, that just makes him a failed usurper.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additional examples include Valerius Valens and Martinian who were given the title of Augustus by Licinius in exchange for their support in his civil wars against Constantine I. This makes them legitimate emperors in a way, but considering that Licinius was clearly junior to Constantine, and that these two men were executed by the actual emperors upon losing the wars, it isn&#039;t so clear cut in my mind.</p><p><br /></p><p>I can see how a delineation between emperors and non-emperors can never really be definitive. You&#039;d have to use a metric like &quot;recognized by the Senate&quot;, but often times the Praetorian Guard made the determination or the position was taken by force, whereby the Senate had no choice but to play along.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is there a method of delineating that I&#039;m missing? I&#039;d like to finalize my numbering system so that I do not have to modify it in the future. What do you guys think of the examples given above, emperors or no? What are other examples where you feel that the distinction is debatable?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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