Cassius Dio and Caracalla

Abstract

and the members of the Oxford University Ancient History Work in Progress Seminar. I am especially grateful to CQ's anonymous referee, whose perceptive comments prompted me to reconsider a number of key issues. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Brian Jones, who provided much support and encouragement while supervising my research on the Severan period. All errors and omissions are my own responsibility. 1 All dates are A.D. unless otherwise noted. References in brackets without further qualification are to Cassius Dio, using the edition of U.P. Boissevain, Cassii Dionis Cocceiani historiarum Romanarum quae supersunt (Berlin, 1895-1931). Translations are those of the Loeb edition of E. Cary, Dio's Roman History (London and Cambridge, MA, 1914-27), with modifications where appropriate. It should be noted that the Loeb does not always reproduce Boissevain's numbering accurately. 2 Excerpts from Xiphilinus constitute the majority of Books 72-80, supplemented by passages from writers such as Zonaras and Peter the Patrician. A single manuscript preserves Dio's original account of the death of Caracalla, the reign of Macrinus, and the rise of Elagabalus. Our conception of Dio's history is therefore necessarily dictated by this fragmentary material, but Xiphilinus' tendency to quote directly, or at least closely paraphrase, Dio's own words means that we can reconstruct the text of the history with some confidence.

Pertinax and Plots in theHistoria Augusta: A Dismissal in 170 and Two Conspiracies in 193 CE

“…After being trained as a grammaticus and finding little joy or profit in the profession, he requested the assistance of his father's patron, Hedius Lollianus, to gain a commission as a centurion. His request was at least partially successful: around 160, he took up the less stable but more prestigious post as the 1 Hose (2007) 461-7;Gleason (2011) 33-86;Kemezis (2012) 387-414, (2014); Davenport (2012) 796-815.…”

“… 1 Hose (2007) 461–7; Gleason (2011) 33–86; Kemezis (2012) 387–414, (2014); Davenport (2012) 796–815.…”

“…The removal of the younger Pertinax and Pompeianus were not part of a random purge, but rather calculated to remove persons associated with previous emperors, cf. Davenport (2012) 811–12.…”

Africanus Princeps? The Emperor Caracalla and the Question of His African Heritage

“…9 Even the problematic Historia Augusta follows this chronology. 10 This Gallic birth is also alluded to by Cassius Dio, who was intensely hostile toward Caracalla (Davenport, 2012, pp. 799-803):Antoninus belonged to three races; and he possessed none of their virtues at all, but combined in himself all their vices; the fickleness, cowardice, and recklessness of Gaul were his, the harshness and cruelty of Africa, and the craftiness of Syria, whence he was sprung on his mother’s side.…”

Cassius Dio’s Forgotten History of Early Rome

“…5 ἥἷmТὀἳlΝ wὁὄkὅΝ ТὀΝ ὈСἷΝ ὅὈὉἶyΝ ὁἸΝ ϊТὁ'ὅΝ ἵὁὀὈἷmpὁὄἳὄyΝ СТὅὈὁὄyΝ ἴἷРТὀΝ wТὈС Millar 1964, 119-173 andBering-Staschewski 1981. More recently, Davenport 2012 and Scott 2015 on Cassius Dio and Caracalla, with further ὄἷlἳὈἷἶΝ mἳὈἷὄТἳlΝ ТὀΝ ἥἵСὉlὐΝ ἀί1ἄνΝ ἳlὅὁΝ ἕlἷἳὅὁὀΝ ἀί11έΝ ϊТὁ'ὅΝ ἵlἳТmὅΝ ὈὁΝ ἳὉὈСὁὄТὈyΝ СἳvἷΝ ἴἷἷὀΝ ὄἷἵἷὀὈlyΝ ἶТὅἵὉὅὅἷἶ,Ν though mainly from a linguistic perspective, in Burden-Strevens 2015a. For a recent discussion of the identity of Herodian and his reticence to divulge, see Kemezis 2014, 260-272, 304-308.…”