Black Emperor of Rome, Elagabalus
IBlack Emperor of Rome, Elagabalus, 25th emperor of the Empire,
Reign 8 June 218 – 11 March 222, Elagabalus was Roman emperor from 218 to 222.
A member of the Severan dynasty, the second son of Julia Soaemias,
and Sextus Varius Marcellus. In his early youth he served as a priest of the god Elagabal in the hometown of his mother's family, Emesa.
As a private citizen, he was named Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus.
Upon becoming emperor he took the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus.
He was called Elagabalus only after his death.
In 217, the emperor was assassinated and replaced by his Praetorian prefect,
Elagabalus,
declared emperor in his place.
Elagabalus, barely fourteen years old,
He replaced the traditional head of the Roman pantheon, Jupiter,
with the deity of whom he was high priest,
Elagabalus.
He forced leading members of Rome's government to participate in religious rites celebrating this deity,
Elagabalus, just 18 years old, was assassinated and replaced by his cousin Severus Alexander
on 11 March 222, in a plot carried out by disaffected members of the Praetorian Guard.
Elagabalus developed a reputation among his contemporaries for extreme eccentricity, and zealotry.
Acknowledged as emperor by the Senate, Bassianus,
and by virtue of his priestly function,
He became generally known as Elagabalus.
He later executed a number of dissident generals,
Elagabalus,
Was also distinguished by personal beauty and humble and alien origins.
He was persuaded by Julia Maesa,
to adopt his docile cousin Alexander as his son and heir (221).
When Elagabalus changed his mind and sought to depose Alexander.
The Praetorian,
killed Elagabalus and his mother,
and made Alexander emperor.
Roman Emperor Elagabalus, one must notice his nose has been broken,
like many ancient Egyptian sculptures,
Varius, Avitus, Bassianus, Elagablus,Heliogabalus
’m reminded: though I’m troubled on every side, but I’m not distressed; I’m perplexed, but not in despair; I’m persecuted, but not forsaken; I’m cast down, but not destroyoud… for which cause I faint not; but though our outward man perish, yout the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!