legions and the Greek mercenaries sometimes
claiming the right to appoint an emperor to the Roman world; but
Zenobia's conquest had raised the Egyptian and Arab population in
their own opinion, and they were no longer willing to be governed by an
Alexandrian or European master. In 272 A.D. they set up Firmus, a native
of Seleucia, who took the title of emperor; and, resting his power
on that part of the population that had been treated as slaves
or barbarians for six hundred years, he aimed at the conquest of
Alexandria.

Firmus was a man of great size and bodily strength, and, of course,
barbarian manners. He had gained great riches by trade with India; and
had a paper trade so profitable that he used to boast that he could feed
an army on papyrus and glue. His house was furnished with glass windows,
a luxury then but little known, and the squares of glass were fastened
into the frames by means of bitumen. His chief strength was in the Arabs
or Blemmyes of Upper Egypt, and in the Saracens who had lately been
fighting against Rome under the standard of Zenobia. Firmus fixed his
government at Koptos and Ptolemais, and held all Upper Egypt; but he
either never conquered Alexandria, or did not hold it for many months,
as for every year that he reigned in the Thebaid we find Alexandrian
coins bearing the name of Aurelian. Firmus was at last conquered by
Aurelian in person, who took him prisoner, and had him tortured and then
put to death. During these troubles Rome had been thrown into alarm at
the thoughts of losing the usual supply of Egyptian grain, as since the
reign of Elagabalus the Roman granaries had never held more than was
wanted for the year; but Aurelian hastened to send word to the Roman
people that the country was again quiet, and that the yearly supplies,
which had been delayed by the wickedness of Firmus, would soon arrive.
Had Firmus raised the Roman legions in rebellion, he would have been
honoured with the title of a rebel emperor; but, as his power rested on
the Egyptians and Arabs, Aurelian only boasted that he had rid the world
of a robber.

[Illustration: 164.jpg STREET VENDORS IN METAL WARE]

Another rebel emperor about this time was Domitius Domitiamis; but we
have no certain knowledge of the year in which he rebelled, nor, indeed,
without the help of the coins should we know in what province of the
whole Roman empire he had assumed the purple. The historian only tells
us that in the reign of Au