Elagabalus (218 - 222 AD)

Family and Background

Varius Avitus Bassianus, the future emperor Elagabalus, was probably born in 203, the son of Sextus Varius Marcellus and Julia Soaemias, daughter of Julia Maesa, the sister of Julia Domna, who was the wife of Septimius Severus. Bassianus grew up in Emesa, his grandmother's home city, and became priest of the local god, Elagabal.
After the assassination of Caracalla, Julia Maesa took up residence in Emesa, and, it seems put the story about that Bassianus was the illegitimate child of Caracalla and Julia. He may have born some physical resemblance to his uncle, and he is said to have been very handsome for a fourteen year old. Soldiers of legio III Gallica, based at Rapheneae, frequented Emesa, and the temple there, and seem to have been disposed to believe the story about Bassianus. On May 16, 218, Bassianus was taken to the camp of legio III Gallica and proclaimed emperor, taking the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (he is usually called Elagabalus, after the god whom he worshipped).
Upon hearing of the proclamation of Elagabalus, and the failure of the legate of III Gallica to retake the camp, Macrinus, who had traveled to Apamea to garner support from legio II Parthica, proclaimed his son Diadumenianus as co-emperor. On June 8, the armies of Macrinus and Elagabalus met in battle near Antioch. Macrinus lost his nerve as the battle hung in the balance and fled. Elagabalus was now had no rival for the throne and was recognized by Macrinus' army. On July 13, he was officially recognized by the Senate at Rome.

Principal Events (Foriegn)

Principal Events (Domestic)

Outlines of Policy

There can be no doubt but that the reign of Elagabalus was one of the oddest periods in the history of the city of Rome. Outside of Rome, the eccentricities of Elagabalus may have had little impact, save only in those areas through which he passed on his rather long journey to the capitol. Study of imperial career patterns suggest that the actual government of the provinces remained as it had been before, and there is no reason to think that Elagabalus instigated any notable activity. The one corollary to this observation is that he seems to have taken no interest in affairs beyond the frontiers of the empire. His official titulature mentions not one single imperatorial salutation (the ordinary marker of a claim to military success). The failure to take even one in a reign of four years is remarkable in the post-Severan age where claim to military success was a hallmark of the imperial office. But Elagabalus also came from outside the ordinary circles from which emperors emerged, as did many of his closest advisers, and they may, quite simply, have not trusted members of the military establishment. It is interesting that there was at least one serious revolt against him in Syria involving one of the legions that had helped put him on the throne.
The story in Rome is quite different. Elagabalus appears to have been devoted to the worship of his god, Elagabal, who was in the form of a meteorite. He brought the god with him to Rome and installed him in a temple on the Palatine. Announcing that he was the chief of all the gods, Elagabalus showed much concern for Elagabal's marital bliss, arranging first for a marriage to the image of Pallas, and then, when this failed (at about the same time as his divorce from Julia Aquilia Severa) he brought the image of Urania (also a meteorite) from Carthage to marry the Elagabal. He also seems to have spent an enormous amount of time leading the worship of his divinity.
The reign is notable for the enormous power that accrued to his mother, Julia Soaemias, his grandmother, Julia Maesa, and his aunt, Julia Mamaea. The influence that accrued to Julia Mamaea may explain the adoption of Alexander, and the evident hatred of Soaemias for Mamaea may lie behind the conspiracy that ultimately ended with the death of Elagabalus in March 222. It does appear that Elagabalus himself was a person of little or no force of character, and that his eccentricity ultimately alienated a significant portion of the administrative apparatus, which threw its support behind Mamaea and her son.

Further Reading

Cassius Dio, History of Rome, 79; Herodian, History of the Years after the Death of Marcus, 5; Historia Augusta, Life of Elagabalus; Millar, A Study of Cassius Dio.