Dr. Alex Imrie

Crasses meets his gold-plated finish near Karai. And it's on the way back from that visit that he stops to empty his bladder and his guards, or at least an officer within the guard, descends upon him and stabs him brutally. And yeah, like Matilda, I just love this idea of these two letters coming across. It's highly dramatic. It's very...

Crasses meets his gold-plated finish near Karai. And it's on the way back from that visit that he stops to empty his bladder and his guards, or at least an officer within the guard, descends upon him and stabs him brutally. And yeah, like Matilda, I just love this idea of these two letters coming across. It's highly dramatic. It's very...

Crasses meets his gold-plated finish near Karai. And it's on the way back from that visit that he stops to empty his bladder and his guards, or at least an officer within the guard, descends upon him and stabs him brutally. And yeah, like Matilda, I just love this idea of these two letters coming across. It's highly dramatic. It's very...

dio in as much as the whole thing is kicked off by this portent or this prophecy. There's no real insight into the nitty-gritty of what's going on. Actually, it's all down in our literary sources to this prophecy. that Macrinus will seize power and his son will be named an emperor as well.

dio in as much as the whole thing is kicked off by this portent or this prophecy. There's no real insight into the nitty-gritty of what's going on. Actually, it's all down in our literary sources to this prophecy. that Macrinus will seize power and his son will be named an emperor as well.

dio in as much as the whole thing is kicked off by this portent or this prophecy. There's no real insight into the nitty-gritty of what's going on. Actually, it's all down in our literary sources to this prophecy. that Macrinus will seize power and his son will be named an emperor as well.

It would be interesting to know exactly what was really going on in the military camp around that point, but one way or another, Macrinus feels vulnerable and it seems that he doesn't waste any time to take action, lest the letter from Antioch get to the front and reach Caracalla's eyes before he can do anything.

It would be interesting to know exactly what was really going on in the military camp around that point, but one way or another, Macrinus feels vulnerable and it seems that he doesn't waste any time to take action, lest the letter from Antioch get to the front and reach Caracalla's eyes before he can do anything.

It would be interesting to know exactly what was really going on in the military camp around that point, but one way or another, Macrinus feels vulnerable and it seems that he doesn't waste any time to take action, lest the letter from Antioch get to the front and reach Caracalla's eyes before he can do anything.

Yeah, it does seem, no matter who you read, that there seems to be a brief interregnum because Macrinus can't step forward and say, right, chaps, we did a good job here. It's my turn now. There's no way that that would be acceptable, even with just the army surrounding them. So Macrinus, I think Matilda's right to say that's probably what he does. He makes this great show.

Yeah, it does seem, no matter who you read, that there seems to be a brief interregnum because Macrinus can't step forward and say, right, chaps, we did a good job here. It's my turn now. There's no way that that would be acceptable, even with just the army surrounding them. So Macrinus, I think Matilda's right to say that's probably what he does. He makes this great show.

Yeah, it does seem, no matter who you read, that there seems to be a brief interregnum because Macrinus can't step forward and say, right, chaps, we did a good job here. It's my turn now. There's no way that that would be acceptable, even with just the army surrounding them. So Macrinus, I think Matilda's right to say that's probably what he does. He makes this great show.

Oh my goodness, there's been a murder and the assassin is hunted down by some of Caracalla's loyal bodyguards and is killed. So in a way that helps Macrinus because there are no loose ends to implicate him at that point in the murder, even if later on the kind of story creeps out that he's been implicated in some way.

Oh my goodness, there's been a murder and the assassin is hunted down by some of Caracalla's loyal bodyguards and is killed. So in a way that helps Macrinus because there are no loose ends to implicate him at that point in the murder, even if later on the kind of story creeps out that he's been implicated in some way.

Oh my goodness, there's been a murder and the assassin is hunted down by some of Caracalla's loyal bodyguards and is killed. So in a way that helps Macrinus because there are no loose ends to implicate him at that point in the murder, even if later on the kind of story creeps out that he's been implicated in some way.

And so it seemed that there are at least a couple of days between the murder of Caracalla and the accession of Macrinus where the army, those who are around from the imperial court, are more or less compelled to put somebody on the imperial throne. The army is hundreds of miles into enemy territory at this point.

And so it seemed that there are at least a couple of days between the murder of Caracalla and the accession of Macrinus where the army, those who are around from the imperial court, are more or less compelled to put somebody on the imperial throne. The army is hundreds of miles into enemy territory at this point.

And so it seemed that there are at least a couple of days between the murder of Caracalla and the accession of Macrinus where the army, those who are around from the imperial court, are more or less compelled to put somebody on the imperial throne. The army is hundreds of miles into enemy territory at this point.

The Parthian king seems to be raising forces to counter the Roman army in this region. An army and empire without a commander at this point is unthinkable. And so Macrinus, as one of the most senior magistrates of the court, is apparently installed at this point. And this in itself is a remarkable chain of events because, as I said earlier, Macrinus is an equestrian. That does not happen.

The Parthian king seems to be raising forces to counter the Roman army in this region. An army and empire without a commander at this point is unthinkable. And so Macrinus, as one of the most senior magistrates of the court, is apparently installed at this point. And this in itself is a remarkable chain of events because, as I said earlier, Macrinus is an equestrian. That does not happen.