Emperors and Usurpers

This historical commentary examines books 79(78)-80(80) of Cassius Dio's Roman History, which cover the period from the death of Caracalla in A. D. 217. to the reign of Severus Alexander and Cassius Dio's retirement from political life in 229. Cassius Dio, a Roman Senator, provides a valuable eyewitness account of this turbulent period, which was marked by the assassination of Caracalla, the rise of Macrinus, Rome's first equestrian emperor, and his subsequent overthrow, the tempestuous, and by all accounts peculiar, reign of Elagabalus, and the continuation of the Severan dynasty under the young Severus Alexander. In addition to elucidating important passages from these books, this study assesses Cassius Dio's political life and its relationship to his literary career; his call to history and time of composition; his historical method; and his attitude toward and subsequent presentation of the later Severan dynasty. In its investigation of books 79(78)-80(80), the work assesses an important stretch of Dio's actual text, which for other parts has been preserved largely in epitome and excerpts. Finally, the work aims to fill a gap in scholarship, as no commentary on these books of Cassius Dio's history has been produced since the nineteenth century, and its publication coincides with a renewed interest in the history and historiography of the Severan period.

Auteur

Andrew G. Scott is Assistant Professor of Classical Studies at Villanova University.

Contenu

Table of Contents Abbreviations Map Introduction I. Cassius Dio's life and career II. Texts and citations III. Cassius Dio as historical guide IV. Time of composition and the nature of Dio's contemporary history V. Cassius Dio, Greek annalist VI. Other sources for the reigns of Macrinus and Elagabalus VII. Modern scholarship on the reigns of Macrinus and Elagabalus Book 79(78): Macrinus I. The structure of book 79(78) and the chronology of Macrinus' reign II. Sources for book 79(78) III. Commentary Book 80(79): Elagabalus I. Overview and structure of book 80(79) II. Sources for Book 80(79) III. Assessing Elagabalus' reign IV. Historical outline V. Religion VI. Elagabalus' demise VII. Commentary Book 80(80): Severus Alexander I. Introduction II. Commentary Works Cited