Having heard a rumor that Marcus had died on campaign (his poor health was notorious), Cassius was reputedly concerned about the stability of the empire. In October of that year, Commodus was bestowed with the title Germanicus alongside his father. Commodus also had a passion for gladiatorial combat, which he took so far as to take to the arena himself, dressed as a secutor. Far from celebrating his descent from Marcus Aurelius, the actual source of his power, he stressed his own personal uniqueness as the bringer of a new order, seeking to re-cast the empire in his own image. Commodianus. Commodus was murdered on New Year’s Eve of 192. Husband of Ceionia Fabia: Levick (2014), p. 164. Gibbon p. 107 "*1 Commodus killed a camelopardalis or giraffe ... the most useless of the quadrupeds". C 1, 9. Dio, Cassius. Although it was ultimately unsuccessful, this tale of derring-do against the villainy of the depraved emperor makes for one of the more entertaining passages of ancient history. Commodus, in his own time, was accused of being a megalomaniac. Moreover, as Hercules, he could claim to be the son of Jupiter, the supreme god of the Roman pantheon. The future emperor was born not in Rome, but in Lanuvium, much like Antoninus Pius, another exalted imperial predecessor against whom history would judge him. Medusa's head had snakes instead of hair and eyes that turned those looking at... Socrates, Aristotle and Plato are by far the most famous Greek philosophers commonly associated with the Greek classical period. Cassius Dio, the most reliable historian for the reign of Commodus, even attests that the emperor went so far as to be named a “god!” A fire that devastated the city in 191 was for Commodus, like Nero a century beforehand, an opportunity. Some leading senators planned to cut down the emperor whilst he was attending the theatre. Contemporary Roman writer Cassius Dio describes the young heir as “rather simple-minded,” but he ruled agreeably with his father and joined Marcus Aurelius in the Marcomannic Wars against the Germanic tribes along the Danube, which the emperor had been waging for several year… The fall of Perennis brought a new spate of executions: Aufidius Victorinus committed suicide. Methuen, 1898. Commodus subsequently accompanied his father on a lengthy trip to the Eastern provinces, during which he visited Antioch. The latter eventually would be used as a conventional title by Roman emperors, starting about a century later, but Commodus seems to have been the first to assume it.[25]. There would be five emperors in A.D. 193, the year after the assassination of Commodus. But Commodus, who ascended to the imperial throne when only 19, was one of the worst. Commodus (A.D. 180-192) Dennis Quinn. Cassius, however, was killed by one of his centurions before the campaign against him could begin. Condianus and Maximus were executed on the pretext that, while they were not implicated in any plots, their wealth and talent would make them unhappy with the current state of affairs. Commodus was born on 31 August AD 161 in Lanuvium, near Rome. He thought of himself as the reincarnation of Hercules, frequently emulating the legendary hero's feats by appearing in the arena to fight a variety of wild animals. [6][7] The latter died in 169 having failed to recover from an operation, which left Commodus as Marcus Aurelius's sole surviving son. The life of the poor household attendant was only spared by the quick thinking of a fellow slave, who tossed a sheepskin onto the furnace instead. Commodus was the first (and until 337, the only) emperor "born in the purple," meaning during his father's reign. [24] On his father's death in 180, Commodus changed this to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Commodus, before changing back to his birth name in 191.[1]. Cleander fled to Commodus, who was at Laurentum in the house of the Quinctilii, for protection, but the mob followed him calling for his head. The next emperor, Didius Julianus, lasted 66 days. Framing himself as a new Romulus and founder of the city, Commodus gave free-reign to his megalomaniac tendencies, renaming the city Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana and even renaming the months of the year to correspond his own names (by this point, he had 12, including Commodus, Hercules, and Invictus). He reduced the weight of the denarius from 96 per Roman pound to 105 per Roman pound (3.85 grams to 3.35 grams). [21] Another event—as recorded by the historian Aelius Lampridius—took place at the Roman baths at Terme Taurine, where the emperor had an attendant thrown into an oven after he found his bathwater to be lukewarm. He also reduced the silver purity from 79 percent to 76 percent – the silver weight dropping from 2.57 grams to 2.34 grams. Perhaps seeing this as an opportunity, early in 192 Commodus, declaring himself the new Romulus, ritually re-founded Rome, renaming the city Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana. The emperor was famed for his beast hunts, including his rescue of a condemned criminal from the jaws of a leopard in one bout. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. The legions were renamed Commodianae, the fleet which imported grain from Africa was termed Alexandria Commodiana Togata, the Senate was entitled the Commodian Fortunate Senate, his palace and the Roman people themselves were all given the name Commodianus, and the day on which these reforms were decreed was to be called Dies Commodianus. His titles quickly came to reflect Marcus’ commitment to ensuring the succession of his son; by 176 Commodus was recognized as Imperator, and by 177 as Augustus, confirming that rule of the empire was not shared between father and son. 1, eingeleitet und übersetzt von E. Hohl, bearbeitet und übersetzt von E. Merten (1976) 138. [citation needed] On 27 November 176, Marcus Aurelius granted Commodus the rank of Imperator and, in the middle of 177, the title Augustus, giving his son the same status as his own and formally sharing power. Infamously, Commodus was the gladiator emperor (made famous by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2000 film Gladiator), fighting frequently in the arena, much to the shame of the gathered senatorial spectators. [7], He was looked after by his father's physician, Galen,[8][9] who treated many of Commodus' common illnesses. In December, he announced his intention to inaugurate the year 193 as both consul and gladiator on 1 January. [33] Privately, it was also his custom to kill his opponents during practice matches. [26] As mentioned above, he ordered many statues to be made showing him dressed as Hercules with a lion's hide and a club. Wife of M. Annius Verus: Giacosa (1977), p. 10. Even this plot, like the others before it, almost failed! Cleander made concerted efforts to concentrate power in his own hands, overseeing the sale of public offices and military commands to the highest bidder. [12] His reduction of the denarius during his rule was the largest since the empire's first devaluation during Nero's reign. Commodus became sole ruler in 180, guaranteed by the support of the soldiers on the frontier. After Commodus was murdered, the Senate met before daybreak, and declared sixty-six year old Pertinax, who was the son of a former slave, emperor. Wife of M. Annius Libo: Levick (2014), p. 163. The principal surviving literary sources are Herodian, Dio Cassius (a contemporary and sometimes first-hand observer, Senator during Commodus' reign, but his reports for this period survive only as fragments and abbreviations), and the Historia Augusta (untrustworthy for its character as a work of literature rather than history, with elements of fiction embedded within its biographies; in the case of Commodus, it may well be embroidering upon what the author found in reasonably good contemporary sources). Virtual Catalog of Roman Coins. [30] Popular rumors spread alleging he was actually the son, not of Marcus Aurelius, but of a gladiator whom his mother Faustina had taken as a lover at the coastal resort of Caieta.[31]. After repeated attempts on Commodus' life, Roman citizens were often killed for making him angry. Her husband, Pompeianus, was not involved, but two men alleged to have been her lovers, Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus (the consul of 167, who was also her first cousin) and Appius Claudius Quintianus, attempted to murder Commodus as he entered a theater. Nevertheless, though the senatorial order came to hate and fear him, the evidence suggests that he remained popular with the army and the common people for much of his reign, not least because of his lavish shows of largesse (recorded on his coinage) and because he staged and took part in spectacular gladiatorial combats. The father of Commodus was Marcus Aurelius, one of the best and noblest of the Roman emperors. The emperor Marcus Aurelius died in March AD 180, in the city of Vindobona (modern Vienna) as he was overseeing the Romans’ ongoing campaigns on the Danubian frontier. Such was the vehement dislike felt by the senate at having had to suffer the abuse and threats of the emperor over the 12 years, that they condemned the memory of Commodus; his images were destroyed and his names scratched from inscriptions around the empire. From the province of Syria, where he was acting as Governor, Cassius declared himself emperor, and the provinces of Judea and Egypt declared their allegiance. [39] Finally, Commodus killed a giraffe, which was considered to be a strange and helpless beast.[40]. His mother Faustina was actually the youngest daughter of Antoninus, and though later histories slandered her as an adultress in truth she and Marcus Aurelius … Unrest around the empire increased, with large numbers of army deserters causing trouble in Gaul and Germany. Engraving showing Commodus killing a leopard in the arena, attributed to Adriaen Collaert, 1594-98, via Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. 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