The Mad Emperor: Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome
I adore well-researched reference books that read like novels. In this fast-paced and wide-ranging life of Heliogabalus, who ruled for only four years, Sidebottom gifts us with a multifaceted view of Rome and the empire. We see the boy-emperor through the lenses of the army, the Senate, religion, the populace, accepted mores; and the book is a jaw-dropping account of how Heliogabalus managed to systematically offend every part of society.
I am not so convinced about the epithet “mad”—I suspect that the newly acclaimed 14-year-old, probably not cisgendered and taking his role as priest in a highly exotic family religion seriously (the huge black rock named Elagabal, which he brought with him from Syria) may have initially intended to rule wisely. But it takes no time at all for the distrust, then active dislike, of first one sector of society then another to tip him over the edge into what reads to me like full-blown teenage rebellion. What average teen would not want to drown his critics (literally!) in a smother of rose petals? Or build their own chariot racetrack round the back of the palace? But it seems to have been his “deviant” sexual practices—accepting the role of penetrated partner, and running a brothel in the palace, too, plus his contempt for the Senate—that finally signed his death warrant. Marrying a Vestal virgin (twice) didn’t help either…
This book is rather more than the autobiography of a boy emperor; by showing us step by step how Heliogabalus overstepped the bounds of accepted behaviour, it gives us a clear picture of the Roman attitudes and accepted practices in the 3rd century. An excellent read.
