The fall of Roman Emperor Philip the Arab in 249 CE had plunged the empire into a series of inefficient reigns, paling in comparison to the halcyon days of luminaries like Augustus, Vespasian, and Trajan. As the once-glorious empire crumbled under financial and military pressures, it was also under constant threat of insurgence along the Danube River and in the eastern provinces. However, 284 CE saw the rise of a new, transformative ruler-Diocletian.