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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Magnus Maximus, post: 2323994, member: 73473&quot;]Well I finally picked up my first coin of 2016, a nice denarius of Elagabalus. Elagabalus was not viewed favourably by Roman historians at the time. As a unbiased student of history I shall not dwell on rumors. Just kidding!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Varius Avitus Bassianus was born in Emesa Syria to Sextus Marcellus and Julia Soaemias in 203 CE. He enjoyed the spoiled and pampered life of a member of the imperial family until 217 when his cousin Caracalla was assassinated. One must give Caracalla&#039;s killer, Macrinus, credit for not having Elagabalus and his young cousin Alexander executed after his rise to the throne. Unfortunately for Macrinus these two boys were a rallying point for opponents of his reign, and not long into 218 a legion revolted in Syria. Macrinus fought a pitched battle against Julia Maesa&#039;s forces and lost, he was eventually found and executed by agents of the Severan dynasty in southern Capadocia. Elagabalus and his entourage finally made it to Rome in the winter of 219 much to the Senate&#039;s horror.</p><p>Varius is called Elagabalus because he was a fanatical priest to the Syrian God El- Gabal. Elagabalus demanded that all temples in the Empire must worship El-Gabal and he declared that all other gods were just inferior mirrors of the one true Syrian God. This had the effect of alienating the Senate and people of Rome.</p><p>Now on to the more interesting stuff!</p><p>Homosexuality was nothing new in Ancient Rome and was for the most part generally accepted as long as you were the dominant partner. Elagabalus well....is reported to have &quot;given himself&quot; to those of lower birth, a big no no in Roman society. Cassius Dio reports that Elagabalus was &quot;tickled to be called Hierocles&#039;s (his chariot driver) wife&quot;.</p><p>He married a vestal virgin with the intent to have &quot;divine children&quot; though the marriage did not last long. One source even said that he turned to palace into a brothel and personally &quot;sold&quot; himself out to the customers. Cassius Dio even writes that Elagabalus had a habit of standing nude in the doorways of the palace and purring at his guards. The histories go into more &quot;mature&quot; details about Elagabalus&#039;s sex life but I will just stop here.</p><p>Needless to say the Roman Senate, people, and army were not very happy with their Emperor. Things finally boiled over during a dispute about Alexander Severus&#039;s right to be Caesar (co Emperor), the Praetorians snapped and killed Elagabalus and his mother and dragged their bodies through the streets and then dumped them in the Tiber.</p><p>I finally have a decent camera so I can show you guys my Antoninianus and new denarius of the perverted Syrian Emperor!</p><p>[ATTACH=full]470256[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]470257[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>For more on Elagabalus.</p><p><a href="http://www.roman-empire.net/decline/elagabalus.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.roman-empire.net/decline/elagabalus.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.roman-empire.net/decline/elagabalus.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.ancient.eu/Elagabalus/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.ancient.eu/Elagabalus/" rel="nofollow">http://www.ancient.eu/Elagabalus/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Please post your silver coins of Elagabalus![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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