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Elagabalus (ca. 203 – March 11, 222), also known as Heliogabalus or Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, was a Roman emperor of the Severan dynasty who reigned from 218 to 222. Born Varius Avitus Bassianus, he was a Syrian by birth, the son of Julia Soaemias and Sextus Varius Marcellus, and in his early youth, he served as a priest of the god El-Gabal at his hometown Emesa.

In 217, the emperor Caracalla was murdered and replaced by his Praetorian prefect Marcus Opellius Macrinus. Caracalla's maternal aunt Julia Maesa successfully instigated a revolt among the Legio III Gallica to have her eldest grandson Elagabalus declared as emperor in his place. Macrinus was defeated on June 8, 218 at the Battle of Antioch, upon which Elagabalus, barely 14 years old, ascended to the imperial power and began a reign that was marred by controversies.

During his rule, Elagabalus showed a disregard for Roman religious traditions and sexual taboos. He was married as many as five times and is reported to have prostituted himself in the imperial palace. Elagabalus replaced Jupiter, head of the Roman pantheon, with a new god, Deus Sol Invictus, and forced leading members of Rome's government to participate in religious rites celebrating this deity, which he personally led.

Amidst growing opposition, Elagabalus was assassinated and replaced by his cousin Severus Alexander on March 11 222, in a plot formed by his own grandmother Julia Maesa and members of the Praetorian Guard. Elagabalus developed a reputation among his contemporaries for eccentricity, decadence, and zealotry which was likely exaggerated by his successors. This propaganda was passed on and, as such, he was one of the most reviled Roman emperors to early historians. (Read more...)