The Crimes of Elagabalus : The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor

Elagabalus was one of the most notorious of Rome's 'bad emperors': a sexually-depraved and eccentric hedonist who in his short and riotous reign made unprecedented changes to Roman state religion and defied all taboos. An oriental boy-priest from Syria - aged just fourteen when he was elevated to power in 218 CE - he placed the sun god El-Gabal at the head of the established Roman pantheon, engaged in orgiastic rituals, took male and female lovers, wore feminine dress and was alleged to have prostituted himself in taverns and even inside the imperial palace. Since his assassination by the Praetorian Guard at the age of eighteen, Elagabalus has been an object of fascination to historians and a source of inspiration for artists and writers. This immensely readable book examines the life of one of the Roman Empire's most colourful figures, and charts the many guises of his legacy: from evil tyrant to firebrand rebel, from mystical androgyne to modern gay teenager, from decadent sensualist to ancient pop star. Elagabalus was one of the most notorious of Rome's'bad emperors': a sexually-depraved and eccentric hedonist who in his short and riotous reign made unprecedented changes to Roman state religion and defied all taboos.An oriental boy-priest from Syria - aged just fourteen when he was elevated to power in 218 CE - he placed the sun god El-Gabal at the head of the established Roman pantheon, was married at least five times, engaged in orgiastic rituals, took male and female lovers, wore feminine dress and was alleged to have prostituted himself in taverns and even inside the imperial palace. His behaviour drew criticism and condemnation from the Senate and the people alike. In 222 CE, just four years after he came to power, his short reign ended abrumptly and violently when he was assassinated by the Praetorian Guard at the age of eighteen and his body dumped unceremoniously in the river Tiber. Although not as widely known as Caligula or Nero, Elagabalus's reputation for luxury, licentiousness and insanity is just as extreme, if not more so. The ancient authors who described his reign portrayed him as one of Rome's notorious'bad emperors'and he has since become an object of fascination for historians and a source of inspiration for artists and writers. This immensely readable book examines the life of one of the Roman Empire's most colourful figures, and charts the many guises of his legacy: from evil tyrant to firebrand rebel, from mystical androgyne to modern gay teenager, from decadent sensualist to ancient pop star. Elagabalus is one of the most notorious of Rome's 'bad emperors': a sexually-depraved and eccentric hedonist who in his short and riotous reign made unprecedented changes to Roman state religion and defied all taboos. An oriental boy-priest from Syria - aged just fourteen when he was elevated to power in 218 CE - he placed the sun god El-Gabal at the head of the established Roman pantheon, engaged in orgiastic rituals, took male and female lovers, wore feminine dress and prostituted himself in taverns and even inside the imperial palace. Since his assassination by Praetorian Guards at the age of eighteen, Elagabalus has been an object of fascination to historians and a source of inspiration for artists and writers Contents 5 List of Illustrations 7 Acknowledgements 9 Introduction 13 1. The boy on the throne 21 2. The the child priest from Emesa 56 3. The invincible Priest-Emperor 73 4. The rejected ruler 104 5. The evil tyrant 135 6. The decadent emperor 160 7. The modern prince 192 Epilogue 227 The nachleben of elagabalus in art and literature: an overview 231 Severan family tree 237 Notes 239 Select bibliography 267 Index 281 IntroductionChapter 1: The boy on the throne Chapter 2: The child priest from EmesaChapter 3: The invincible priest-emperorChapter 4: The rejected rulerChapter 5: The evil tyrantChapter 6: The decadent emperorChapter 7: The modern princeEpilogue The Nachleben of Elagabalus in art and literature: an overviewSeveran family treeNotesSelect bibliographyIndex