Dr. Alex Imrie

He's just before his 10th birthday, probably is when he is named the Caesar and the heir apparent. Now, again, that's quite a bold statement to have a child as your heir apparent. And it's exactly that. He's used as a tool to signify that the Severan regime is ready to stand on its own feet and will brook no alliances with other factions anymore. And it triggers a bloody civil war.

He's just before his 10th birthday, probably is when he is named the Caesar and the heir apparent. Now, again, that's quite a bold statement to have a child as your heir apparent. And it's exactly that. He's used as a tool to signify that the Severan regime is ready to stand on its own feet and will brook no alliances with other factions anymore. And it triggers a bloody civil war.

196 through 197, we have a fairly intense campaign where it seems that Claudius Albinus... brings most of the military power from the British Isles over into Gaul, and ironically meets Severus in battle at Lugdunum, at Leon, where Caracal is born, the year 197. And Cassius Dio tells us that this has about 150,000 men on either side, duking it out on the fields outside Leon.

196 through 197, we have a fairly intense campaign where it seems that Claudius Albinus... brings most of the military power from the British Isles over into Gaul, and ironically meets Severus in battle at Lugdunum, at Leon, where Caracal is born, the year 197. And Cassius Dio tells us that this has about 150,000 men on either side, duking it out on the fields outside Leon.

196 through 197, we have a fairly intense campaign where it seems that Claudius Albinus... brings most of the military power from the British Isles over into Gaul, and ironically meets Severus in battle at Lugdunum, at Leon, where Caracal is born, the year 197. And Cassius Dio tells us that this has about 150,000 men on either side, duking it out on the fields outside Leon.

And this is the largest single Roman land battle in history, if we believe Dio's numbers.

And this is the largest single Roman land battle in history, if we believe Dio's numbers.

And this is the largest single Roman land battle in history, if we believe Dio's numbers.

That's right. I mean, partly we just don't hear about Geto tremendously much, and that, it seems, is a literary choice on the part of the authors, I think, in order to accentuate or emphasise maybe the role of Caracalla within the imperial succession, etc., at least initially.

That's right. I mean, partly we just don't hear about Geto tremendously much, and that, it seems, is a literary choice on the part of the authors, I think, in order to accentuate or emphasise maybe the role of Caracalla within the imperial succession, etc., at least initially.

That's right. I mean, partly we just don't hear about Geto tremendously much, and that, it seems, is a literary choice on the part of the authors, I think, in order to accentuate or emphasise maybe the role of Caracalla within the imperial succession, etc., at least initially.

The literary portrait is one thing, but the reality is that Severus doesn't actually give Geta any role or any constitutional importance at that point. When he elevates Caracalla to Caesar, Geta gets nothing, really, at all.

The literary portrait is one thing, but the reality is that Severus doesn't actually give Geta any role or any constitutional importance at that point. When he elevates Caracalla to Caesar, Geta gets nothing, really, at all.

The literary portrait is one thing, but the reality is that Severus doesn't actually give Geta any role or any constitutional importance at that point. When he elevates Caracalla to Caesar, Geta gets nothing, really, at all.

And when eventually after the civil war against Clodius Albinus is concluded, Severus goes and wages another war against Parthia, basically I think to recoup some booty and some material gain and to focus all his legions on an external enemy. At the end of that campaign, he elevates Caracalla again to become Augustus, so a co-emperor with him.

And when eventually after the civil war against Clodius Albinus is concluded, Severus goes and wages another war against Parthia, basically I think to recoup some booty and some material gain and to focus all his legions on an external enemy. At the end of that campaign, he elevates Caracalla again to become Augustus, so a co-emperor with him.

And when eventually after the civil war against Clodius Albinus is concluded, Severus goes and wages another war against Parthia, basically I think to recoup some booty and some material gain and to focus all his legions on an external enemy. At the end of that campaign, he elevates Caracalla again to become Augustus, so a co-emperor with him.

That's probably the early days of the year 198, and that's timed, it seems, to coincide with the anniversary of Trajan's Day of Accession, his Diaz Imperio. So Severus, again, is trying to play all the propagandistic games and using his children to attach his regime to all of the best and all of the best-liked facets of Roman imperial history over the preceding centuries.

That's probably the early days of the year 198, and that's timed, it seems, to coincide with the anniversary of Trajan's Day of Accession, his Diaz Imperio. So Severus, again, is trying to play all the propagandistic games and using his children to attach his regime to all of the best and all of the best-liked facets of Roman imperial history over the preceding centuries.

That's probably the early days of the year 198, and that's timed, it seems, to coincide with the anniversary of Trajan's Day of Accession, his Diaz Imperio. So Severus, again, is trying to play all the propagandistic games and using his children to attach his regime to all of the best and all of the best-liked facets of Roman imperial history over the preceding centuries.