This third-century Roman emperor was known for his depravity and promiscuity. But were the rumours true?
Elagabalus was never supposed to rule. As a minor member of the Severan dynasty, there were others who were more likely to sit on the throne; he was just a first cousin once removed of Emperor Caracalla. In fact, if Caracalla hadn’t been assassinated, Elagabalus would have been just another footnote in history. Instead, we are left with one of Ancient Rome’s most infamous leaders.
Born Varius Avitus Bassianus in 203 or 204 CE in Syria, the future emperor’s name came from his position as high priest to the sun god Elagabal. It was Caracalla’s assassination that led him to becoming emperor at the age of 14 in 218. Elagabalus’ grandmother started the rumour that he was Caracalla’s illegitimate son and the Senate believed it. Machinations like this were part and parcel of imperial Roman life. What wasn’t is what allegedly followed.
After putting down two rebellions in the east, one of Elagabalus’ first acts was reportedly to send a painting of himself ahead of his entourage to Rome with specific instructions for where it was to be displayed: over a statue of the goddess Victoria in the Senate House. It would be the first thing senators saw when they walked in, and it was to cement the new emperor’s position of power.
Throughout his reign, rumours swirled about his behaviour. He would apparently award senatorial and military positionsto men he had slept with, and while some of the appointments made sense, putting a barber in charge of the city’s grain supply was an odd move. So was making a male dancer prefect of the guards. Some whispered that Elagabalus gave the more influential positions to those with larger genitals.
Social occasions weren’t exactly a walk in the park with the emperor, though. One vignette taken from the Historia Augusta talks of a dinner party where roses, violets and other flowers fell from a false ceiling. While it might sound delightful (if a bit much), there were so many petals that “some were actually smothered to death, being unable to crawl out to the top.” The Historia Augusta also goes on to mention Elagabalus fornicating during banquets, and the butchering of 600 ostriches at the dinner table just for their brains to be eaten. But how much of this was actually true? There’s no physical evidence to suggest that the painting hung in the Senate House ever existed, and only one ancient h
