Dr. Alex Imrie

And he will be in that position in the year 192-193 when Commodus is murdered and we have a variety of crises affecting the empire within a very short order. The children, it seems, are in the city of Rome, from what we can establish. This just reflects the fact that they're not tremendously important characters, maybe in their own right, being so young at this point.

And he will be in that position in the year 192-193 when Commodus is murdered and we have a variety of crises affecting the empire within a very short order. The children, it seems, are in the city of Rome, from what we can establish. This just reflects the fact that they're not tremendously important characters, maybe in their own right, being so young at this point.

But they are housed in the capital. Now, we can tell that because when civil war begins and Severus starts to march on Rome, eventually, the boys have to be ushered out of the capital in secret, it seems. So there's a suggestion there that they were just living a fairly...

But they are housed in the capital. Now, we can tell that because when civil war begins and Severus starts to march on Rome, eventually, the boys have to be ushered out of the capital in secret, it seems. So there's a suggestion there that they were just living a fairly...

But they are housed in the capital. Now, we can tell that because when civil war begins and Severus starts to march on Rome, eventually, the boys have to be ushered out of the capital in secret, it seems. So there's a suggestion there that they were just living a fairly...

regular life as far as Roman aristocratic children can, but had to be ushered out of the city at a point where there may have been danger to their lives owing to their father's attempt to take the imperial throne.

regular life as far as Roman aristocratic children can, but had to be ushered out of the city at a point where there may have been danger to their lives owing to their father's attempt to take the imperial throne.

regular life as far as Roman aristocratic children can, but had to be ushered out of the city at a point where there may have been danger to their lives owing to their father's attempt to take the imperial throne.

100%. I mean, when 193 starts, even then, there's no real sense that Severus is even in consideration, as it were, for becoming an emperor. We have the throne handed to the aged, very experienced senator and multifaceted governor, Helvius Pertinax. And in many ways, he seems the ideal candidate for the throne. He has a wealth of senatorial and military and gubernatorial experience.

100%. I mean, when 193 starts, even then, there's no real sense that Severus is even in consideration, as it were, for becoming an emperor. We have the throne handed to the aged, very experienced senator and multifaceted governor, Helvius Pertinax. And in many ways, he seems the ideal candidate for the throne. He has a wealth of senatorial and military and gubernatorial experience.

100%. I mean, when 193 starts, even then, there's no real sense that Severus is even in consideration, as it were, for becoming an emperor. We have the throne handed to the aged, very experienced senator and multifaceted governor, Helvius Pertinax. And in many ways, he seems the ideal candidate for the throne. He has a wealth of senatorial and military and gubernatorial experience.

He seems to be the man to kind of take hold of the reins again and restore a little bit of stability to the Roman state after the arguably wilder eccentricities of Commodus' final years with all the games and all the wannabe Hercules-type vibes that were coming out of Commodus' regime then. That regime of Pertinax, however, crashes within two or three months.

He seems to be the man to kind of take hold of the reins again and restore a little bit of stability to the Roman state after the arguably wilder eccentricities of Commodus' final years with all the games and all the wannabe Hercules-type vibes that were coming out of Commodus' regime then. That regime of Pertinax, however, crashes within two or three months.

He seems to be the man to kind of take hold of the reins again and restore a little bit of stability to the Roman state after the arguably wilder eccentricities of Commodus' final years with all the games and all the wannabe Hercules-type vibes that were coming out of Commodus' regime then. That regime of Pertinax, however, crashes within two or three months.

It's only, I think, 86 days before he is assassinated by his Praetorian Guard. It's at that point that we have the infamous episode, the auction of the empire, as Cassius Dio calls it, where we have a couple of senators bidding to receive the good graces of the Praetorian Guard. Now that's in Rome.

It's only, I think, 86 days before he is assassinated by his Praetorian Guard. It's at that point that we have the infamous episode, the auction of the empire, as Cassius Dio calls it, where we have a couple of senators bidding to receive the good graces of the Praetorian Guard. Now that's in Rome.

It's only, I think, 86 days before he is assassinated by his Praetorian Guard. It's at that point that we have the infamous episode, the auction of the empire, as Cassius Dio calls it, where we have a couple of senators bidding to receive the good graces of the Praetorian Guard. Now that's in Rome.

The winner of that is one Didius Julianus, who is apparently very wealthy, but doesn't seem to be terribly well equipped to actually rule an empire now that he's got it. Maybe a bit of buyer's remorse comes in quite quickly. Now it's at that point that we see Severus raising his standard. His legions in Pannonia, the acclaim him emperor.

The winner of that is one Didius Julianus, who is apparently very wealthy, but doesn't seem to be terribly well equipped to actually rule an empire now that he's got it. Maybe a bit of buyer's remorse comes in quite quickly. Now it's at that point that we see Severus raising his standard. His legions in Pannonia, the acclaim him emperor.

The winner of that is one Didius Julianus, who is apparently very wealthy, but doesn't seem to be terribly well equipped to actually rule an empire now that he's got it. Maybe a bit of buyer's remorse comes in quite quickly. Now it's at that point that we see Severus raising his standard. His legions in Pannonia, the acclaim him emperor.