Daily Roman Facts:

Emperor Valerian has the ignoble claim of being the first emperor captured alive by the enemies. Taken prisoner after losing the Battle of Edessa in 260AD against the Sassanid Empire lead by Shapur I, he would live the remainder of his life as a prisoner of the foreign power. His life during that time is one of two possibilities, either he lived a rather comfortable, if obscure, life as a high ranking prisoner, eventually dying of old age. Or he was routinely humiliated by the Sassanid court even being used as a stool for the King to enter and exit his litter. This telling has him being flayed alive and stuffed for display in the audience chamber of Shapur.

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