ABSTRACT
Imperial power was actual reality as much as it was image and ideology. In AD 200 the images of emperor and empire were impressive. Septimius Severus had conquered his enemies, expanded the empire, kept the loyalty of the armies, and founded a dynasty that continued the preceding Antonine house. Like all emperors before him, Severus had strong divine associations, and so did his successors. An important source of imperial political power had always been cooperation with the higher orders in society, i.e. with senators, knights, and local gentry. From Severan times onwards, and particularly after 260, senators lost career opportunities and functions in the army and the emperor’s service through a process of replacement by militarily and logistically more experienced equites. At provincial levels, a growing awareness of the risks the empire was facing and an ensuing self-identification with the empire must have strengthened the basis of political imperial power in war-ridden areas.
