Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla share some physiological and political traits.
Severus managed to bring some order to the period of anarchy that followed —or more likely predated – the demise of Commodus, of ‘Gladiator’ fame. He showed some talent at keeping at least some of the Roman aristocracy on side, while really establishing what was more or less a military dictatorship.
His son Lucius Septimius Bassianus, better known as Caracalla, didn’t hesitate in having his brother murdered upon co-inheriting power from his dad, and dispensed with the niceties of keeping part of the aristocracy on side. He had a most profound influence on the Roman world by extending citizenship to all of its freeborn denizens, but the lack of support for his autocracy outside the military led to his eventual assassination on a Syrian road, as well as an atrocious reputation that survives to this day.
Statuesque ...
Tags: SPQR portrait sculpture UK WC1B London Bloomsbury Great Russel Street British Museum statue Ancient Rome Antiquity Roman Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus Lucius Septimius Severus Eusebes Pertinax Augustus Caracalla shotOniPhone Septimius Severus
… which may be a cause for concern, given his somewhat checkered reputation :-)
Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus, or Antoninus on official business, lived in difficult times, and managed to grant full Roman citizenship to all free denizens of his empire, a momentous decision reaching at least a cool 30 millions, possibly more.
Granted, his motives were more likely fiscal than anything else, but still…
When in Rome
Statuesque ...
Tags: SPQR shotOnIphone portrait sculpture monochrome Ancient Rome Antiquity Roman Italy Rome Italia 00186 Roma Piazza del Campidoglio Capitoline Museums Musei Capitolini statue marble bust Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus
… whose patrician name, unfortunately, has been lost in the labyrinth of Time.
When in Rome
Statuesque ...
Tags: shotOnIphone sculpture portrait SPQR monochrome Antiquity Roman Ancient Rome Italy Rome Italia 00186 Roma Piazza di Campidoglio Capitoline Museums Musei Capitolini Roman patrician statue marble bust
… could have been about architecture. Or about Antinous. He seems to have had a keen interest in both.
Statuesque ...
Tags: SPQR portrait sculpture shotOnIphone Caesar Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus UK WC1B London Bloomsbury Great Russel Street British Museum monochrome Ancient Rome Hadrien Hadrian Antiquity Roman statue Publius Aelius Hadrianus
… he probably got his ‘Faithful’ cognomen on account he kind of forced the deification of his predecessor and adopted father. Hadrian had had a few too many senators executed in his latter years to make that prospect very palatable to the Senate.
Statuesque ...
Tags: SPQR sculpture portrait shotOnIphone UK WC1B London Bloomsbury Great Russel Street British Museum Ancient Rome Antiquity Roman statue monochrome Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus Antoninus Pius