Browse Items (299 total)

Trajan, a very successful and well-remembered emperor, was one of the first emperors to engrave his coins with Herakles, a very famous Greek hero who often appeared on the coins of Greek rulers like the Macedonian king Alexander the Great. It has…

Marcus Aurelius took control of the Roman Empire after the death of Antoninus Pius in conjunction with his brother Lucius Verus in 161 CE. Though Lucius was never as important as Marcus Aurelius, they ruled in peace together until Lucius’ premature…

Septimius Severus came into power much the same way Vespasian did 100 years before him. Following the quick succession of four other emperors in the same year, Septimius came into power in 193 CE. He secured his place using his military prowess and…

Lucilla was the daughter of Marcus Aurelius and the wife of his co-ruler, Lucius Verus. She happily fulfilled her role of empress until her husband’s death in 169 CE. She was then married to Claudius Pompeianus, a powerful Roman senator. Cassius Dio…

Faustina the Younger was the daughter of Antoninus Pius and the wife of Marcus Aurelius. She was not well regarded by historians like Cassius Dio; he claims she was licentious and unfaithful, but it seems that she and Marcus Aurelius may have had a…

Caracalla was the son of Septimius Severus and the brother of Geta. His reign was a notorious one, as he was known as a harsh and paranoid person. He had his brother Geta murdered just before 212 CE, soon after the death of their father, and…

Geta was officially erased from memory when he was condemned to suffer damnatio memoriae by his brother, Caracalla, in 211 CE. Jealous and paranoid, Caracalla has his brother murdered and "erased from memory" shortly after their father, Septimius…

Elagabalus, also known as Heliogabalus, was the leader of the Roman Empire from 218-222 CE. Caracalla, who was Elagabalus’ cousin, was assassinated by the praefect of the Praetorian Guard, Marcus Opellius Macrinus, in 217 CE. Macrinus replaced…

Severus Alexander was put into power after the assassination of his cousin, Elagabalus, in 222 CE. As opposed to his cousin, Severus respected Roman tradition and behaved in accordance with Roman law. He was a wise ruler, though it is rumored that he…

Aurelian was declared Emperor by his troops after the death of Claudius II Gothicus in 270 CE. Claudius II Gothicus’ brother, Quintillus, however, was also declared Emperor by the Pannonian troops in the same year. Not unexpectedly, Quintillus was…