Emperors of Rome | Caracalla and the Severan Dynasty (Lecture 26)

Lecture 26: Caracalla, the elder son of Severus, found sharing power intolerable and soon had his young brother murdered to assume sole rule. His reign devolved into tyranny and ended in his assassination after only seven years. After a brief interlude in 217−218, when the Praetorian prefect Macrinus seized power, the Severan Dynasty reemerged but proved no less oppressive than its founder. The strange emperor Elagabalus was succeeded by the boy Severus Alexander, who was killed by his own troops on campaign in 235. We also consider the immensely powerful Severan women, such as Julia Domna and Julia Mamaea, and their prominent roles in imperial politics in this era.

Essential Reading:
Cassius Dio, Roman History, books 78−80.
Herodian, History of the Empire, books 4−6.
HA, Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus, Severus Alexander.

Supplementary Reading:
DIR, “Caracalla,” “Macrinus,” “Elagabalus,” “Severus Alexander.”
Levick, Julia Domna.
Potter, Roman Empire at Bay, pp. 125−172.
Southern, Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine, pp. 37−63.