TRIGGER WARNING: The Roman Emperor Elagabalus refused to adhere to Roman cultural norms, transgressing traditional gender roles, imperial court etiquette, and tenets of state religion. Many Roman historians condemned them for this behavior, including the anonymous author of the Epitome de Caesaribus; the author's bias in the following passage is evident.
Aurelius Antoninus Varius, idem Heliogabalus dictus, Caracallae ex Soemea consobrina occulte stuprata filius, imperavit biennio et mensibus octo. Huius matris Soemeae avus Bassianus nominee fuerat Solis sacerdos; quem Phoenices, unde erat, Heliogabalum nominabant, a quo iste Heliogabalus dictus est. Is cum Romam ingenti militum et senatus exspectatione venisset, probris se omnium contaminavit. Cupiditatem stupri, quam assequi naturae defectu nondum poterat, in se convertens muliebri nomine Bassianam se pro Bassiano iusserat appellari. Vestalem virginem quasi matrimonio iungens suo abscisisque genitalibus Matri se Magnae sacravit.
--Epitome de Caesaribus, XXIII.1-3
Aurelius Antoninus Varius, also called Heliogabalus [Elagabalus], ruled for two years and eight months. They were a bastard son the Emperor Caracalla and their cousin Soemea. Bassianus, their mother Soemea's grandfather, was a sacred priest of the Sun, which the Phoenicians called Heliogabalus; this is where Elagabalus got their name.
At first, Rome's senate and armies looked forward to their rule, but they disappointed them with their inappropriate behavior [probris]. When their body was not able to comply with their wishes [naturae defectu], Elagabalus ordered everyone to call them with the feminine name "Bassiana" instead of Bassianus [their birth name]. Uniting with a Vestal Virgin in a marriage ceremony, they later had their genitals surgically removed and dedicated themself [as a nun] to the worship of the goddess Magna Mater.
<Anonymous>
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MAP:
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Name: ???
Date: 4th c.
CE
Works: Epitome de
Caesaribus*
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REGION UNKNOWN
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BIO:
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Timeline:
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Sometimes falsely attributed
to Sextus Aurelius Victor, the Epitome de Caesaribus is a concise
history of later Roman history that covers the reigns of the emperors
Augustus through Theodosius.
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BYZANTINE / LATE LATIN
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