This thesis examines the public image of the later members of the Severan dynasty (Caracalla, Geta, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus) in order to identify and analyse the underlying motivations behind the actions undertaken to promote their public image by each of these emperors at a time of great change in the third century AD. This was achieved through a chronological examination of the coins, inscriptions, portraiture and public building programmes of the later Severans. The first chapter examines the public image of Caracalla and Geta under Septimius Severus; the second chapter analyses Caracalla's sole rule; and the final chapter investigates Elagabalus and Alexander Severus in order to establish how they, or those acting on their behalf, wished to portray themselves to the public. The literary works of Cassius Dio, Herodian, and the Historia Augusta supplemented this archaeological evidence.