#alexander severus

[lilyseverina]

I wish we had Egyptian depictions of Elagabalus and Alexander Severus. It would be interesting to see and would hit hard given that they were possible descendants of Cleopatra VII.

@theromaboo

[tiny-librarian]

Royal Birthdays for today, October 1st:

Alexander Severus, Roman Emperor, 208

Henry III, King of England, 1207

Isabella, Countess of Vertus, 1348

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, 1685

Nikolaos, Prince of Greece and Denmark, 1969

[palabrasdoradas]

Discovered in the sarcophagus of Emperor Alexander Severus near Rome in 1582, the vase passed through the Barberini family, British ambassador Sir William Hamilton, and finally to the 2nd & 3rd Dukes of Portland who gave it to the British Museum. Author Thomas Windus (1778-1854), an English coachbuilder and collector of engraved gems, explores the iconography on the vase depicting Augustus, his family, and his rivals, as well as marine creatures such as sea snakes, and a marriage scene. This is an early and important study of this rare masterpiece of Roman glass.  

Source: A New Elucidation of the Subjects on the Celebrated Portland Vase (si.edu)

The scenes on the vase are divided into two parts by a bearded head (perhaps with horns), one under each handle. The first scene has four figures which include a young man leaving a shrine in the countryside and wearing a cloak. The man holds the arm of a semi-naked woman sitting on the ground preoccupied with stroking an animal resembling a snake. Above the woman is the flying figure of Eros with his customary bow and a torch in his right hand. On the right is a bearded male standing between two trees and depicted in a contemplative mood with his chin resting on his hand.

The second scene on the other side of the vase shows three figures all sitting on rocks with a background of a single tree. On the left is a young male next to a column or pillar, whilst in the centre is a young woman with her arm raised to her head and holding a torch which hangs down to the ground. On the far right is another half-dressed woman who holds a sceptre or staff in her left hand.

The exact significance of the scenes is not known for certain, but a commonly held speculation is that it is the wedding of Thetis and Peleus from Greek mythology that is being shown. Other interpretations include the dreams of Olympias, Alexander the Great's mother. This would make the reclining female figures in both scenes Olympias, the snake Alexander's father Zeus, and the young male leaving the temple as Alexander. Another interpretation is the similar story of Julia Mammaea and Roman emperor Alexander Severus. Finally, some have suggested the scene with Eros shows Mark Antony and Cleopatra, whilst the reverse scene has Augustus consoling Octavia with the goddess Venus looking on.

Source: The Portland Vase - World History Encyclopedia

Glass cameo vase, Roman, 1st century AD

from The British Museum

[deepperplexity]

It's August, 28°C and sunny, but I have Christmas music on 'cus I'm working on the prompt list for this year's RICKMAS!

I've updated my taglist, too. So, if you're a creator wanting to be notified when the prompt list goes up you can add yourself already and if you're a reader wanting to be notified when I post my fics for the year you can tag yourself as well.

I will no longer reset the RICKMAS READER list every year, you can take yourself off the list at any moment by just deleting your tag in the document but creators will have to sign up every year so that only active participants are tagged in the prompt list 🥰

🎄TAGLIST HERE 🎄

[roseunspindle]

Alan Rickman: What I've Seen Him in

Die Hard - Hans Gruber

Quigley Down Under - Elliot Marston

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - Sheriff of Nottingham

Sense and Sensibility - Colonel Brandon

Galaxy Quest - Alexander Dane

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Severus Snape

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Sverus Snape

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Severus Snape/Boggart

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Severus Snape

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Marvin the Paranoid Android

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Severus Snape

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Judge Turpin

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Severus Snape

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 & 2

Alice in Wonderland - Absolem the Caterpillar

[taraprince]

rip to one of the greatest humans to ever live, it’s been 8 years </333 forever love you and everything you’ve done

[grayjoy15]

Day 10: Julia Mamaea, mother of Severus Alexander. After the murder of her sister Soaemias and the emperor Elagabalus, Mamaea was able to win the favor of the Praetorian Guard and establish her own son Alexander as emperor. Mamaea (and her mother) managed the empire on behalf of her son and even accompanied him on campaigns as he grew up. Her influence over Alexander ultimately caused the army to turn on him, and they were both assassinated.

[wonderfulcinderella]

Tell me again about Aleko and him being buried in honey and how they couldn’t find his tomb? And Caesar ?

Oh boy I'm SO glad you asked! Buckle up 'cause it's gonna be a wiiiiiild ride. First things first, what do we know?

Aleko, better known as Alexander the Great, died on June 10th 323 BC (or so). His body was laid in a gold sarcophagus that was filled with honey.

Ptolemy I. buried Aleko in Memphis in Egypt; after the tomb in Alexandria was finished, Alekos body was transfered to Alexandria. Ptolemy IV. replaced Alekos tomb with a new one, and Ptolemy X. replaced Alekos sarcophagus with a glass one.

Caesar, Augustus, Septimus Severus and Caracalla have verifiably visited the grave.

Knowledge of the actual location of Alekos burial site has been lost since around the 5th century AD - and until today.

In chinese medicine, the (alleged) mellification is mentioned, after which a deceased person was preserved in honey. After about a century, the body is said to have transformed into some kind of confection that is said to have had a healing effect.

Ground egyptian mummies were proven to have been swallowed as medicine (mumia) in europe.

So, long story short: I'm not saying Caesar ate (parts of) Alexander the Great, but maybe Caesar ate (parts of) Alexander the Great.

[twofielder]

Coin of the Day #230 (12/20/2024)

I was so distracted by RPC V being published I almost forgot…

Roman Province - Cappdocia

AE27 - 12.88g

Severus Alexander 223-224 AD (Countermark 243-244 AD)

Caesarea Mint

Obverse AY K CEOYH AΛEΞANΔ

Bust of Severus Alexander right, laureate, draped, from behind, countermark: head of Helios right, radiate

Reverse MHTPO KAIC ET Γ

Distyle temple, enclosing agalma of Mount Argaeus, globe in pediment

RPC VI 6758

RPC 129 / GIC 12i (Countermark)

[lilyseverina]

Me looking into the family tree of the Syrian branch of the Severan Dynasty:

[ddiomedes]

[anastasia-selwyn]

Hello, my name is Anastasia Lynx Selwyn. Yes, you heard correctly, Selwyn. I am the only daughter born after a century of sons, the pride and joy of our pureblood line. Pureblood royalty, if you please.

I am currently fifteen years old, and in my fifth year at Hogwarts as a Slytherin student, a prefect for my house as well.

My friends call me Nyx, but if I do not like you or if we aren't even close to being acquaintances, do not refer to me as such or you will be hexed into the next century. It's Anastasia for the rest of you.

Here are some people I am forced to know.

By the way, if you annoy me, you'll be getting a nickname from me.

Fellow Slytherins:

@vidiadelafairy - vidia carrington

@vszabini - valentina zabini

@antoniadolohov - antonia dolohov

@the-queen-bellatrix - bellatrix black

@andromedashoax - andromeda black

@flowers-of-narcissus - narcissa black

@whokilledevanrosier - evan rosier

@pandoras-nox - pandora rosier

@malfoy-lu - lucius malfoy, the naked mole rat

@little-king-official - regulus black

@severusprince-snape - severus snape

@cas-not-the-band - dorcas meadowes

@averykissableguy - edmund avery

@fire-allayer - bruce mulciber

@aelius-with-a-quill - aelius fawly

@rodolphus-le-strange - rodolphus lestrange

@daughter-of-spring - persephone lylia

@thathojamie - jamie, my pretty boy!

Annoying Gryffindors:

@james-the-amazing-potter - james potter

@thebr1ghteststar - sirius black

@looneymoonyy - remus lupin

@wormy-loves-ch33se - peter pettigrew

@marls-mckinn0n - marlene mckinnon

@hjonesworld - hestia jones

@mary-mcdeal - mary macdonald

@alicethekindone - alice fortescue

@k1ndest-keeper - frank longbottom

@lilyevansoffical - lily evans

@flyasaphoenix - phoenix harvey

@mollberryshortcake - molly prewett

@fabian-with-an-f - fabian prewett

@lialovergirl - lia matthews

@gav-the-rockstar - gavin prescott

Ravenclaw:

@mystical-magical-me - gilderoy lockhart

@xeno-graphical - xenophillius lovegood

@tjsinclairofficial - theodore sinclair

@emmelineandhervans - emmeline vance

@poison-penmanship - rita skeeter

@camille-laurier - camille laurier

@king-ofthe-crop - kingsley shacklebolt

@kingalexanderthegreat - alexander kemet-ali.

Hufflepuff:

@oxxen--free - olivier hrdin

@sybill-patrica-trelawney - sybill trelawney

@imogenmorningstar - imogen morningstar

@adam-lukas-morningstar - adam morningstar

@magandang-kaluluwa - elias smith

[mapsontheweb]

Cartographic Map featuring the Roman Empire in 271 AD

The map illustrates the overall status of the Roman Empire in 271 AD, marking the culmination of the crisis of the third century. This crisis initiated with the assassination of Imperator Caesar Severus Alexander by his men. In 271, the Empire witnessed the rule of three Emperors: Aurelianus, who held sway over the majority of the Empire; Domitianus (The Second), briefly controlling Aquitania; and Tetricus, overseeing Northern Gallia and Britannia.

In the East, Septimia Zenobia, the Queen Mother regent of Palmyra, and also the Queen of Egypt, together with her son King Vaballathus, exerted control over a significant portion of the Roman Empire, encompassing Syria, Egypt, and Southern Asia Minor.

Meanwhile, Aurelian was engrossed in conflicts with the Emperors in Gaul, allowing Palmyra to operate with relative freedom until their formal declaration as Augusti.

by Difficult_Airport_86/reddit

[foundtherightwords]

🏛 👑⚔️"Gladiator II" thoughts 🏛 👑⚔️

Before I start, I have to say that (and please don't throw me into the Colosseum for this) I think the first "Gladiator" is just okay. A solid epic historical/action flick, sure, but to me it's no more than that. And... well, "Gladiator II" is more or less the same, but with a less tight script and therefore less emotional resonance.

It's my biggest issue with the movie. The spectacles are great and the action sequences are solid, but I'm not interested in any of the characters (with the exception of the emperors and Macrinus.) They're all very one-note. To be fair, Acacius doesn't require a lot of dimensions and Pedro did a good job with the character, but Lucius and Lucilla... meh. For a movie that is 148 minutes long, it feels oddly rushed; I felt like I never had the time to get to know the characters or become invested in their fates.

On to the good parts: like I said, the emperors and Macrinus. The review that says Denzel is acting on another level and Joe is the only one that comes close to matching him is spot-on. Out of all the characters, Geta and Macrinus are the only two with some depth. Denzel is amazing, affable and gregarious one minute and then chilling and menacing the next. As for Geta, maybe I'm just biased, but it's so easy to make him one-dimensional too, except Joe imbued the character with nuance and subtlety, so although we don't get to spend a lot of time with them, we understand these two emperors and their dynamic very well. Fred also did great with Caracalla - in fact, if his character wasn't so deranged and erratic and Fred didn't play that to perfection, Geta wouldn't stand out as the sane one as much as he did. They really were the perfect double act.

OK, so those are my spoiler-free thoughts. If you haven't seen the movie, click away now! It's going to be all spoilers from here! This is your last warning! (Oh and I'll start posting my Geta fic next Tuesday. Here's a preview; if you want to be tagged, drop me a comment!)

Now if you don't mind spoilers, read on...

When we found out that Ridley Scott had done a switcheroo and made Geta the elder brother (interestingly, the subtitle at my theater has Caracalla as the elder, which suggests the translator did more historical research than Sir Ridley and his writer!), I guessed that the movie would still follow a bit of historical facts with Macrinus manipulates Caracalla into killing Geta (OK, the bit about Macrinus manipulating Caracalla is not historical, but Caracalla killing Geta is), and then Macrinus would kill Caracalla to take the throne. Well...

And Geta's death is... my God. I gasped out loud in the theater. The head afterward was a bit goofy, but I can't say it's not effective. Poor Joe. Not only his characters always get killed, they often get killed in the gnarliest ways too.

I'm very annoyed at those early reports saying that the emperors have about 20-30 minutes of screen time though. It's more like 10! This video?

That's basically all of Joe's scenes! (Fred gets more, obviously, but not by much.)

And again, I wish they would stop using cut scenes as promo (like with AQPD1), because this still?

Never happens.

The final fight between Lucius and Macrinus is weirdly anti-climactic. Macrinus is never set up as a great fighter anyway, so there is no tension in Lucius facing him.

Also, I know I complain a lot about the lack of historical accuracies, but the ending particularly annoys me because it makes it seem like Rome is finally getting better, except it wasn't! After the terrible reign of Caracalla, we get the even worse reign of Elagabalus, and then Severus Alexander, which is basically the calm before the storm that is the Crisis of the Third Century. So if Sir Ridley is doing "Gladiator III", I'd like to see how he wriggles his way out of that!

[serenanight87]

I just want all the Rickman characters 😭😭😭

[ancientcharm]

The last Princeps of Rome

Marcus Aurelius Alexander Severus was born in Arca Caesarea, Syria (present-day Akkar district, Lebanon) on 1 October 208. Unlike all assassinated emperors before him, the Senate mourned the assassination of this young Princeps for decades.

He was proclaimed emperor at the age of thirteen on 13 March 222, two days after the death of his predecessor Elagabalus. The historian Dio Cassius, who served as consul, describes Alexander Severus' character as calm and peaceful. He was characterized above all by his religious tolerance; He believed that "everyone is free to freely profess his beliefs." He had an extraordinarily kind attitude towards Christians and Jews.

During his early years, the government was really left in the hands of his grandmother Julia Maesa and his mother Julia Avita Mamaea who dedicated themselves to cleaning up the financial mess left by Elagabalus. His grandmother died in August 224. In 226 He married Sallustia Barbia Orbiana, with whom he had no children and two years later she was banished by order of Julia Mamaea.

As he grew older, Alexander began to make his own decisions. He faced the Sassanians who began to establish their new empire replacing the Parthians. In 230 they attacked the province of Mesopotamia. Alexander gathered an army to begin his military campaign in 231. In 233 Ardacher, king of the Sassanians, withdrew from the newly conquered provinces. Severus Alexander considered this a victory and had a triumph.

A year later, the Germans began to attack the northern borders of the empire. Alexander headed there with his troops and to gain time he sent gifts to the leaders of the enemy peoples. The soldiers took advantage of this to accuse him of a "cowardly" act. In fact the whole army hated him for not continuing with the policy initiated by the first of the Severan Dynasty (Septimius): paying exorbitant salaries to the army. Septimius Severus since the year 193 did this in his day to ensure the loyalty of the troops, as did his son 'Caracalla'. This made the army fill with an excessive ambition and began to see the position of emperor as something that could be taken by force. The young Alexander understood the danger and drastically lowered the salaries of the army: but it was too late.

On 18 March 235 the 26-year-old Emperor Alexander Severus was assassinated by his own soldiers in a camp near Moguntiacum (modern Mainz, Germany). They then killed his mother J. Mamea and proclaimed Maximinius the Thracian as the new emperor. Three years later, after the death of Maximinus the Thracian, the Senate deified Alexander Severus.

The death of Severus Alexander meant the end of the Principate created by Augustus in 27 BC. The government of Maximinus the Thracian was the beginning of 50 years of anarchy with 26 emperors along with countless aspirants to the throne. Except for one, all of them died violently. It is the era of the "soldier-emperors", or "The crisis of the third century" characterized by constant internal struggles that lasted until the arrival of Diocletian to power, who saved Rome from its total collapse- 200 years before the fall of the western empire- by creating the Dominate.

Head from a bronze statue of the Roman emperor Alexander Severus (222-235 AD), from Ryakia, Archaeological Museum, Dion

Photography by Carole Raddato (CC BY-SA 2.0)