Sol Invictus ("Unconquered Sun") was the official sun god of the later Roman Empire and a patron of soldiers. In 274 the Roman emperorAurelian made it an official cult alongside the traditional Roman cults. Scholars disagree whether the new deity was a refoundation of the ancient Latin cult of Sol,[1] a revival of the cult of Elagabalus[2] or completely new.[3] The god was favored by emperors after Aurelian and appeared on their coins untilConstantine I.[4] The last inscription referring to Sol Invictus dates to AD 387,[5] and there were enough devotees in the 5th century that Augustine found it necessary to preach against them.[6]