Reconstruction of Elagabalus face after a statue. Image through Wiki Commons.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, much better known by the label Elagabalus, was the Roman Emperor from 218 to 222. He was still a teenager when became the ruler of the best empire on the planet of the time, but his deeds became notorious throughout the realm. Or rather, her deeds.
The North Hertfordshire Museum in England has changed the pronouns it utilizes for a coin of Elegabalus in its collection, now referring to the emperor as a trans lady, utilizing “she” and “her”. As insane as it sounds, thats not an unreasonable take.
A really unusual emperor challenging gender roles
The emperor also bathed with ladies and infamously, prostituted themselves to men. There is even one anecdote that Elagabalus offered vast sums of money to any physician who could provide a vagina.
Nero and Caligula are frequently thought about to be the worst Roman Emperors, but Elagabalus would provide them a run for their money. In just 4 years, the emperor managed to instill a culture of debauchery, financial waste, and indiscrimination that is still notorious to this day.
That is, still, only the start.
Evaluating from all of this, the museums choice to reclassify the emperors pronouns is more than justified. Things are seldom straightforward in history.
Elagabalus freely challenged gender functions, in some cases in very questionable methods. They regularly wore female wigs and makeup and bathed with women. The emperor preferred to be called domina (girl) instead of dominus (lord). This is basically the Roman variation of correcting somebodys pronouns, says Zachary Herz, assistant teacher of classics at the University of Colorado in Boulder, to The Guardian.
Elagabalus was born in todays Syria. In early youth, they (lets opt for the pronoun “they” until historians settle this) had actually served as head priest of the sun god Elagabal. Upon becoming emperor, Elagabalus changed the Roman pantheon of gods with the Elagabal. Thats only the start of his many transgressions.
Possibly the greatest evidence comes from historian Cassius Dio. Dio left several writings related to Elagabalus, consisting of a part on the emperors most current marriage, to a male. The historian wrote that the emperor “was bestowed in marital relationship and was described queen, spouse and mistress”.
They wed 4 ladies and a male. They provided lavish presents and favors to male courtiers and bought female harlots. They did tours of whorehouses and carried out elaborate orgies.
Uncertainty and hit pieces
Heres the thing: Roman historians disliked Elagabalus. Checking out historical writings on Elagabalus is a bit like reading hit pieces in a local tabloid.
It is clear, however, that he wed a male. Is there factor to see this as more than simply a homosexual practice, which would have been reasonably common in ancient Rome?
In reality, Dio wrote most of his deal with Elagabalus after the emperor was killed and disgraced, and slander prevailed in such writings. To include more insult, a typical Roman stereotype at the time was that individuals from Syria were effeminate and masculine and not strong like the real Roman guys. In truth, theres no way to know for sure simply how numerous of these things Elagabalus really did.
A coin illustrating Elagabalus as a male.
In truth, the majority of historians seem to think that Elagabalus didnt do a number of the important things historians claim they did. Using effeminate language and words would have been a method to weaken the emperor and discredit. Recommendations to wearing makeup and prostitution could have done the exact same.
Fluid gender functions in the Roman Empire
While “there is a long history of individuals who have been expected to be excellent at being a male or being a female and have had a tough time with that”, says Herz, “I worry that when we tell our trainees they need to care about Elagabalus due to the fact that shes trans or because theyre non-binary– due to the fact that they fit a contemporary classification that our students use for themselves– were depriving them of the richness of history.”
But whether Elagabalus was really a trans woman is less clear. Being trans is by no implies a brand-new phenomenon, but we have a hard time to explain and accept it as a society even today. Ancient Romans were extremely open about gender, however this would not have been an easy thing to settle, especially in the case of a salacious teenage emperor.
The Romans were, stunningly, familiar with gender fluidity. There are several examples of changing pronouns in Roman history, although this process generally referrals misconception and legend instead of living individuals. Theres a factor why were so amazed with Romans– they were method ahead of their time.
The Roses of Heliogabalus (another name for Elagabalus), by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1888 ).
” We dont know what Elagabalus resembled. We dont know how Elagabalus saw himself. But we have portraits and coins that all appearance male, that portray him with male facial hair, male features, and in garments that would have been comprehended as male within Elagabaluss culture– consisting of the coin that the museum has at the center of its screen,” Herz told The Guardian.
Historians state we need to be wary of attributing modern-day concepts to historical figures.
An odd enigma
The variety of unusual stories about the emperor is far undue to sum up here. Amongst others, it is stated that they:
never ever used the exact same shoes two times;
took a whale, weighed it, and then sent their buddies its weight in fish;
had fancy banquets with bizarre foods like flamingos and camels-heels;
Elagabalus reign, although brief, casts a complex and long shadow over Roman history. At least some of the things ascribed to Elagabalus seem strikingly modern.
when eliminated some visitors by suffocating them with rose perfume.
Elagabalus eccentricity and debauchery alienated intellectuals and soldiers of the time in Rome. Elagabalus was simply 18.
Elagabalus is referred to as A terrible enigma lost behind centuries of bias by historian Warwick Ball. Figures like Elagabalus remind us of the unlimited subtleties in the human story.
This is some of the craziest stuff thats ever been explained by historians, and it only occurred in 4 years. We cant know for sure if these occasions actually occurred or if theyre just misconceptions and legends, however its clear that Elagabalus rapidly became out of favor.
However, its vital to keep in mind that our interpretations are constrained by the predispositions and limitations of ancient sources, along with our contemporary point of views.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, much better known by the nickname Elagabalus, was the Roman Emperor from 218 to 222. Upon becoming emperor, Elagabalus changed the Roman pantheon of gods with the Elagabal. Dio left several writings related to Elagabalus, including a part on the emperors latest marriage, to a guy. Heres the thing: Roman historians hated Elagabalus. Dio wrote most of his work on Elagabalus after the emperor was eliminated and disgraced, and slander was common in such writings.
