Dr. Alex Imrie

In terms of his background, we know that he was born in the Roman province of Mauritania, so on the North African coast. And this is something that will become important for his story later. He was not from a senatorial family. He was not from a highly aristocratic family. He was a member of the equestrian order, so that second property class of Rome.

And I don't want listeners to think that this is a kind of... middle class, for want of a better description. These people are still often obscenely wealthy, it's just that they don't have the family bloodlines of the senatorial order. The equivalent, some said they're like the knights or something, is that right? Absolutely.

And I don't want listeners to think that this is a kind of... middle class, for want of a better description. These people are still often obscenely wealthy, it's just that they don't have the family bloodlines of the senatorial order. The equivalent, some said they're like the knights or something, is that right? Absolutely.

And I don't want listeners to think that this is a kind of... middle class, for want of a better description. These people are still often obscenely wealthy, it's just that they don't have the family bloodlines of the senatorial order. The equivalent, some said they're like the knights or something, is that right? Absolutely.

I mean, the name, the Ordo Equestria, the Equites, it really all has that kind of equestrian knightly vibe to it, and historically it was, you know, these people could afford horses to engage in warfare with. But certainly by Macrinus' time, it is just a large social class within Roman society. And so this is the kind of context into which he's born.

I mean, the name, the Ordo Equestria, the Equites, it really all has that kind of equestrian knightly vibe to it, and historically it was, you know, these people could afford horses to engage in warfare with. But certainly by Macrinus' time, it is just a large social class within Roman society. And so this is the kind of context into which he's born.

I mean, the name, the Ordo Equestria, the Equites, it really all has that kind of equestrian knightly vibe to it, and historically it was, you know, these people could afford horses to engage in warfare with. But certainly by Macrinus' time, it is just a large social class within Roman society. And so this is the kind of context into which he's born.

Dio and Herodian are fairly much in agreement that he is trained as a lawyer. And I think it's Dio who tells us that he's maybe not the most inventive legal mind out there, but he is quite diligent in his following of the law. And this seems to bring him into the orbit of the Praetorian prefect in the early 3rd century, Plotianus, infamous for his attempted coup later on against the Severans.

Dio and Herodian are fairly much in agreement that he is trained as a lawyer. And I think it's Dio who tells us that he's maybe not the most inventive legal mind out there, but he is quite diligent in his following of the law. And this seems to bring him into the orbit of the Praetorian prefect in the early 3rd century, Plotianus, infamous for his attempted coup later on against the Severans.

Dio and Herodian are fairly much in agreement that he is trained as a lawyer. And I think it's Dio who tells us that he's maybe not the most inventive legal mind out there, but he is quite diligent in his following of the law. And this seems to bring him into the orbit of the Praetorian prefect in the early 3rd century, Plotianus, infamous for his attempted coup later on against the Severans.

Yes, we talked about him in the last episode, didn't we? Yes. We did, yep. So sort of the internal problems that the Severan household faces in the 3rd century, a lot of it comes down to this Plotianus figure. And according to Dio, Macrinus is quite lucky, actually, not to be tarred by association and kind of gotten rid of after the Plotianus affair.

Yes, we talked about him in the last episode, didn't we? Yes. We did, yep. So sort of the internal problems that the Severan household faces in the 3rd century, a lot of it comes down to this Plotianus figure. And according to Dio, Macrinus is quite lucky, actually, not to be tarred by association and kind of gotten rid of after the Plotianus affair.

Yes, we talked about him in the last episode, didn't we? Yes. We did, yep. So sort of the internal problems that the Severan household faces in the 3rd century, a lot of it comes down to this Plotianus figure. And according to Dio, Macrinus is quite lucky, actually, not to be tarred by association and kind of gotten rid of after the Plotianus affair.

But it seems that for a while he kind of holds junior magistracies thereafter. I think the one office that Dio tells us Septimius Severus allows him after is kind of like a traffic superintendent on the Via Flaminia. So it's a little bit of a kind of step down from working in the Praetorian prefect's office.

But it seems that for a while he kind of holds junior magistracies thereafter. I think the one office that Dio tells us Septimius Severus allows him after is kind of like a traffic superintendent on the Via Flaminia. So it's a little bit of a kind of step down from working in the Praetorian prefect's office.

But it seems that for a while he kind of holds junior magistracies thereafter. I think the one office that Dio tells us Septimius Severus allows him after is kind of like a traffic superintendent on the Via Flaminia. So it's a little bit of a kind of step down from working in the Praetorian prefect's office.

Well, that's how I like to imagine it. I'm sure it was probably much more administrative, but I do like to imagine him as a kind of glorified traffic cop for a few years in the wilderness. But he eventually, as Severus's reign goes into Caracalla's, his career seems to steadily increase again. He occupies a number of procuratorial posts and ends up as Praetorian prefect himself.

Well, that's how I like to imagine it. I'm sure it was probably much more administrative, but I do like to imagine him as a kind of glorified traffic cop for a few years in the wilderness. But he eventually, as Severus's reign goes into Caracalla's, his career seems to steadily increase again. He occupies a number of procuratorial posts and ends up as Praetorian prefect himself.

Well, that's how I like to imagine it. I'm sure it was probably much more administrative, but I do like to imagine him as a kind of glorified traffic cop for a few years in the wilderness. But he eventually, as Severus's reign goes into Caracalla's, his career seems to steadily increase again. He occupies a number of procuratorial posts and ends up as Praetorian prefect himself.

So in early 217, Caracalla is in the midst of a military campaign against Parthia, against the Parthian Empire. This is something that he had started in 216.