ABSTRACT

Introduction The last years of the second century CE witnessed a major change in Roman politics and society in a form of a civil war; as a result, power fell to Septimius Severus, commander of the Pannonian legions. This was the fi rst time since 69 CE, ‘the year of the four emperors’, that power was taken by means of war. The new ruler was Lucius Septimius Severus, born in Lepcis Magna, a city in the province of Africa, in 145 CE. He was active as a governor of Pannonia 1 when the Antonine era came to an end. After the reign of the last Antonine ruler Commodus (180-192 CE) and the brief rule of Pertinax, power fell to Didius Julianus. However, three other contenders for the throne appeared: Severus in Pannonia, Clodius Albinus in Britain and Pescennius Niger in Syria, each commanding three legions. Severus and Albinus formed an alliance and Severus marched to the capital. Most of the troops there decided to support him and eventually the senate named Severus emperor while Didius Julianus was killed. There followed a civil war against Niger, who was defeated in 194 CE. Another war broke out soon between Severus and Albinus. The latter was defeated and killed in 197 CE. After his victory, Severus returned to the capital to deal with his political enemies. According to the sources, he had sixty-four Roman senators arrested for being too supportive towards Albinus, and it is claimed that twenty-nine of them were executed. 2

In order to strengthen and justify his power, Severus launched a massive campaign of propaganda. He was represented as a man who had brought peace and prosperity, and whose rule represented the continuation of the Antonine dynasty after the short disruption of the civil war period. The most concrete part of the Severan propaganda was his grandiose building policy in the capital. It appears that this was the most extensive project of construction and repair of public buildings since the days of Augustus. These new and restored temples and other constructions carried Severus’s name and thus were an excellent way for the new emperor to advertise his position: they were a visible proof, for the people of the capital, of the prosperity and magnifi cence the new dynasty provided. 3

The vast building projects were not, however, the only way in which the blessings of the Severan reign could be demonstrated. Public celebrations (including

sacrifi ces, animal and gladiator shows, horse races and other kinds of entertainment) showcased the generosity of the emperor towards his subjects in an effective manner. Another remarkable event occurred in 204 CE, when Severus celebrated an extremely rare religious festival, the ludi saeculares .