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I
TePrologueinRome
TeAlexandriandramahadaprologueinRome.
TecatastropheoftheEgyptiancapitalwasduetoAntoninus
Caracalla.Teemperor)spersonalitywascertainlynotwithoutinflu-
enceuponthatdisaster;alsotheatmosphereofthebeginningsofhis
reignasasoleemperorhadcertainlypreparedthefuturetragedy.
Tebiographersoftheemperorstressthenegativefeaturesof
Caracalla)scharacterthatalreadyappearedinhisyouth.Temost
importantofourauthors,CassiusDio,hatedCaracallasomuchthat
hisbiasinfluencedthereliabilityofhisaccountofCaracalla)sreign.1
However,Dio)stextisabsolutelyirreplaceable.Noelementsofhis
testimonyshouldbeunderestimated,includingevenhisbiasedstate-
mentsconcerningtheemperor)sviciousandbloodthirstytemper.
Sufceittoquoteafewfragmentsofthataccount:
ἘξέπλεttεδὲoὐtòV(i.e.SeptimiusSeverus)ὁ᾿AVtωVῖVocKolἐc
φρoVtńδocἀVηVύtoUcKoθńσtη,ὅtitεἀKoλάσtωcἔCη,KolὅtiKoltòV
ἀδελφòVδῆλocἦV,εiδUVηθεńη,φoVεύσωV,KoltòtελεUtoῖoVὅtiKol
oὐtῷἐKεńVῳ(i.e.againstthefather)ἐπεβoύλεUσε.2
ἦVγὰρἐcπάVtoKolθερPόtotocKolKoUφόtotoc,πρὸcδὲ
toύtoicεἶχεKoltòπoVooργoVtῆcPηtρòcKoltῶVΣύρωV,ὅθεV
ἐKεńVηἦV.3
1A.R.Birley,SeptimiusSeverus,TeAfricanEmperor,London1971,p.272:
uDio)shatredofhimwassostrongthathisaccountofhisreignisofquestionable
value.Butthereislittleevidencetocorrectit.Herodianhasoneortwogood
wordstosayforhim.”
2CassiusDioLXXVII14.1.
3CassiusDioLXXVIII10.2.
