Month: December 2015
Commodus: The Years 181-182
Commodus and Lucius Antistius Burrus served as consuls for the year 181. Burrus was Commodus’ brother-in-law: he was married to Vibia Aurelia Sabina, Marcus Aurelius’ youngest daughter. The year passed and nothing worth recording happened. The borders were secure, the provinces prospered and the new Augustus seemed to cooperate well…
Commodus: The Years 183-185
Commodus: The Years 186-190
Commodus: The Years 191-192
Commodus was still quite popular with the people. The several attempts to assassinate him in the previous years had made him a very suspicious man though. Ever since the conspiracy in which the senators Ummidius Quadratus and Claudius Pompeianus Quintianus had been involved, now almost ten years ago, he deeply…
Year of the Five Emperors: The Year 193
Septimius Severus: The Year 194
The previous year ended with Severus’ forces trying to force their way through the Cilician passes in the Taurus Mountains. Initially, they were repelled by strong resistance from Niger’s troops, who were holding excellent strategic positions. However, as the siege of Niger’s positions progressed, the winter weather began to favour…
Septimius Severus: The Year 195
Still in Syria, Severus decided to cross the Euphrates during the summer months for a punitive expedition into Mesopotomia against the people of Osrhoene and Adiabene. They had revolted against Niger’s forces holding Nisibis – a Roman strongpoint since the campaigns of Lucius Verus – and had killed or captured…
Septimius Severus: The Year 196
Septimius Severus: The Year 197
Septimius Severus: The Year 198
The year started with a decisive Roman victory over the Parthians. Their capital Ctesiphon was taken around 28 January after a short siege. The victorious Roman soldiers looted the entire city and took away thousands of women and children as slaves. Herodianus claims the Romans also captured the Parthian king’s…
Septimius Severus: The Year 199
Septimius Severus: The Year 200
Septimius Severus: The Years 201-203
Septimius Severus: The Years 203-208
Septimius Severus: The Years 208-211
In 208, Septimius Severus launched a large military campaign against the Caledonians in Britannia. Cassius Dio writes that the reason for the invasion was that “his sons were changing their mode of life and that the legions were becoming enervated by idleness”. Herodianus’ explanation is a bit more convincing: the…
Caracalla and Geta: The Year 211
Caracalla: The Year 212
Now that he was sole emperor, Caracalla removed his brother’s name (and face) from all monuments – including the Arch of Septimius Severus on the Forum – and went on a killing spree, having all of Geta’s friends and supporters murdered. Caracalla killed anyone who had ever even remotely sympathised…
Caracalla: The Years 213-214
Caracalla: The Year 215
Caracalla left Nicomedia in April, after having held gladiatorial games in honour of his birthday (which was 4 April). He moved on to Antiochia, where according to Cassius Dio he indulged in luxurious living. At the end of the summer the emperor reached Alexandria, probably the second or third city…