Within a space of only five years (270-275 AD), Emperor Aurelian achieved more than most of his predecessors (and successors). He stabilized the Danube frontier, expelling all the barbarians who threatened the Roman Empire. He encircled Rome with a massive wall that can still be seen today.

Aurelian was a competent soldier, but he was also a reformer. During his brief but eventful reign, he inaugurated major reforms of the currency, religion, and administration. It was Aurelian who laid the foundation for the autocratic emperorship of the late Roman Empire. But, most importantly, emperor Aurelian restored the unity of the Roman Empire, which was teetering on the brink of collapse. For this reason, Aurelian became known as the Restitutor Orbis – “Restorer of the World.”