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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Amit Vyas, post: 6251748, member: 117268&quot;]In the later part of his reign, Commodus began to show signs of megalomania. He may well have been unhinged by the continual attempts on his life.</p><p><br /></p><p>He gave orders that he be called Hercules, son of Zeus instead of Commodus, son of Marcus, and took to wearing a lion skin and carrying a club in public. He also appeared in the games of 192 AD in the guise of Hercules Venator (the Hunter), killing various animals and fighting as a gladiator. By contemporary accounts, the left-handed emperor was quite a marksman, beheading Mauritanian ostriches with his arrows.</p><p><br /></p><p>The contrast of his character with his revered father, Marcus Aurelius, led to rumors that he was illegitimate, the product of his mother&#039;s adultery with a gladiator. He was eventually assassinated on December 31st, 192 AD.</p><p>(Adapted from <i>Chronicle of the Roman Emperors</i> by Chris Scarre)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1247410[/ATTACH] </p><p><i>Commodus as Hercules</i> (Image source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Commodus_Musei_Capitolini_MC1120.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Commodus_Musei_Capitolini_MC1120.jpg" rel="nofollow">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Commodus_Musei_Capitolini_MC1120.jpg</a>)</p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Commodus (177-192 AD), AR Denarius, Rome mint, 192 AD, RIC 251, RSC 190, BMC 339 (3.3 g, 17 mm)</i></b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: Head of Commodus as Hercules right, wearing Nemean lion skin. L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL</p><p><b>Reverse</b>: Legend divided by club, all within wreath. HER-CVL / RO-MAN / AV-GV</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1247408[/ATTACH]</p><p><i><b><br /></b></i></p><p><i><b><br /></b></i></p><p><i><b>Commodus (177-192 AD), Æ As, Rome mint, 192 AD, </b></i><b><i><font size="4">RIC 644, Cohen 193, BMC 722, 725 </font></i></b><i><b>(8.22 g, 24.5 mm)</b></i></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Obverse</b>: Head of Commodus as Hercules right, wearing Nemean lion skin. (L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Reverse</b>: Legend divided by club, all within wreath. HER-CVL / RO-MAN / AV-GV/S-C</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1247409[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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