ABSTRACT
To understand Septimius Severus, we should start with the Antonines. The Antonine age has often been considered as the most successful period of Roman history. The reign of Commodus, however, brought hard times for the senators. Eventually Commodus' behaviour became so erratic that he was murdered. After the short reign of Pertinax, things went from bad to worse and civil war broke out. From this situation Septimius Severus, the victor of the war and new ruler of the empire, had to ponder his relationship with the senate and, at the same time, decide what kind of imperial ideology he would build his rule and dynasty on. When Severus became emperor, he tried to secure his power by various means. Not only did he crush his opponents by military force, but he also wanted to create a public image of himself as a man who had brought peace and who had restored and renewed the empire after hard times.
