It is more probable that they might have been executed during one of the phases of anti-Christian agitation which broke out in the empire during the mid-third century, particularly between 249 and 251 under Emperor Decius and then between 257 and 259 under Valerian. More broadly, Jeremy K. Knight noted that it probably took place at some point between Septimius Severus' prohibition on anyone converting to Christianity and Aurelian's death in 275, for his successor Constantius Chlorus did not reportedly execute Christians but restricted himself to the demolition of their churches.