Understanding the Mysterious Kingdom of Shambhala, The Irish Story and Legend of C Chulainn, Alleged Sighting of the Mythical Manananggal in the Philippines Causes Public Anxiety, Aluxes: The Mischievous Little People of Maya Mythology, The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend Part I, A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire, Medieval Hygiene Might Have Been Better Than You Think, New Evidence Shows Humans Were Using Bows and Arrows in 52,000 BC. Other victims at this time were the praetorian prefect Julius Julianus, Commodus's cousin Annia Fundania Faustina, and his brother-in-law Mamertinus. Dio Cassius 73.1.2, Loeb edition translated E. Cary, Dio Cassius 73.5.3, Loeb edition translated E. Cary. The Eastern Tour - Chapter II: 4:01. He gripped the iron bars in front of him and was pushed back by one of the guards. [44] Dio notes that the targeted senators actually found this more ridiculous than frightening, and chewed on laurel leaves to conceal their laughter. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! Available from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/128108/Commodus, Lucius Aurelius Commodus Roman-Empire. He engaged in one-on-one combat with many other gladiators, each of whom was obliged to lose to the emperor. Commodus brought an end to his father's campaign against the Germans. Roman Emperor Lucius Aurelius Commodus was a corrupt ruler who was not well-received by the Roman people during his reign. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. Commode-Hercule et l'anthropologie hercalenne,", M.P. The climax came in the year 190, which had 25 suffect consuls a record in the 1,000-year history of the Roman consulshipall appointed by Cleander (they included the future Emperor Septimius Severus). With each breathtaking scene, the complex culture of world that created and adored these bloody games between man and beast comes into clear focus. www.alexanderdoddy.com. Cornelius Scipio Salvidienus Orfitus. Commodus received extensive tutoring by a multitude of teachers with a focus on intellectual education. And the wise Marcus Aurelius, known as the Philosopher and the last of the Five Good Emperors, would be succeeded by his son Commodus, whose descent into madness would be immortalized throughout the millennia (including a heavily fictionalized account in the popular 2000 film Gladiator). 1475); the hero wears his characteristic lionskin and wields a club. We'll explain. Commodus reign is commonly regarded as the beginning of the Roman Empires decline, and he is a natural choice for the primary antagonist of Gladiator. [4] Commodus was supposedly in a drunken stupor after Marcia had poisoned him[1] and Narcissus proceeded to strangle his master in his bathtub[1] or, according to Herodian, in his bed.[3]. "Exsuperatorius" (the supreme) was a title given to Jupiter, and "Amazonius" identified him again with Hercules. After a failed assassination attempt in 182, however, his rule became erratic and brutal, and he imagined himself to be Hercules. The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites around the French village of Carnac, in Brittany, consisting of more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. It is of particular interest that Aurelius craved succession by one of his sons so much because there hadnt been an emperor who had been succeeded by his own son since Titus succeeded Vespasian in 79. The Syrian-born gladiator, who rose to fame under the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117 to 138 A.D.), is best known for the length of his career, and for being awarded his freedom four times . @Roberto Peron, No, Marcus Aurelius was a philosopher (Stoic) the last of the 5 "Good Emperors" and maintained the "Pax Romana). In 186 he had his chief minister executed in order to appease the army; three years later he allowed the ministers successor to be killed by a rioting crowd. 1. Indeed, director Ridley Scott's vision of Maximus slowly walking toward his family through the fields of their farm as he's dying is one of the most moving moments in movie history. Commodus was a terrible ruler by virtually any standard. To help answer that question, here are five of the key elements of the story and their historical precedents. Commodus's death marked the end of the NervaAntonine dynasty. The title suggests that Commodus was present at his father's victory over the Marcomanni. But shortly after dispatching the megalomaniacal emperor, Maximus succumbs to his own injuries and dies in the blood and sand of the ring although not without making sure his fellow gladiators are freed first. In 182 Commoduss sister Lucilla conspired with a group of senators to assassinate him. Only a famous death will do. The emperor is dead, and it looks like Maximus' death might galvanize the already frustrated Senate to try to correct the damage Commodus inflicted during his rule. He also had the head of the Colossus of Nero adjacent to the Colosseum replaced with his own portrait, gave it a club, placed a bronze lion at its feet to make it look like Hercules Romanus, and added an inscription boasting of being "the only left-handed fighter to conquer twelve times one thousand men".[23]. [34] The Romans found Commodus's gladiatorial combat to be scandalous and disgraceful. He served jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until the latter's death in 180, and thereafter he reigned alone until his assassination. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. [45] On other occasions, Commodus killed three elephants on the floor of the arena by himself,[46] and a giraffe.[47]. Maximus : You would fight me? The long line of ancient Roman emperors is marked by a strange pattern: Almost every exceptionally brilliant emperor was succeeded by an exceptionally mad one. According to Aurelius, Commodus received his educational training with "an abundance of good masters.". Instead, he devoted himself to his harem of 300 females and a like number of males, played gladiator at Rome's. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Ultimately, it is believed that Commodus outlandish behavior led to his eventual assassination. Upon his ascension, Commodus devalued the Roman currency. He gave Rome a new name, Colonia Commodiana (Colony of Commodus), and imagined that he was the god Hercules, entering the arena to fight as a gladiator or to kill lions with bow and arrow. During 191, the city of Rome was extensively damaged by a fire that raged for several days, during which many public buildings including the Temple of Pax, the Temple of Vesta, and parts of the imperial palace were destroyed. In fact, the rule of Commodus might have gone down as quite unremarkable in the history of Rome were it not for one unfortunate incident. Als besonders skandals empfand man die Beziehung zwischen Eppia, einer Frau aus reicher Familie, die Senatorengattin war, und dem Gladiator Sergiolus. At the outset of his reign, Commodus, aged 18, inherited many of his father's senior advisers, notably Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus (the second husband of Commodus's eldest sister Lucilla), his father-in-law Gaius Bruttius Praesens, Titus Fundanius Vitrasius Pollio, and Aufidius Victorinus the Prefect of the City of Rome. But it didnt take long for him to delegate his leadership responsibilities to others so that he could engage in activities in which he enjoyed. Did you realise that "Gladiator" was a revamp of the 1960's movie "THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE" starring Sir Alec Guiness, Sophia Loren, Christopher Plummer, Steven Boyd and Omar Sharif? This ancient Roman biographical article is a stub. He was co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. The Emperor and his son then travelled to Athens, where they were initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries. He assassinated the Roman emperor Commodus in 192 AD. Papirius Dionysius was executed, too. Alternate titles: Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus, Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus. His mother was Annia Galeria Faustina, a member of the Roman nobility and the daughter of the emperor Antoninus Pius. He was appointed co-emperor of Rome and ruled alongside his father when he Marcus Aurelius is famed for various accomplishmentshis title as the last of the Five Good Emperors; his extensive study of and literary accomplishments in the field of Stoicism; and, last but not Long bouts of bad weather have been blamed as a cause for the downfall of ancient civilizations around the world. Lucius Aurelius Commodus, born 161 A.D., was appointed co-emperor by his father Marcus Aurelius in 177 A.D. when he was just 16 years old. After the murder of the powerful Saoterus, Perennis easily took over the reins of government and Commodus found a new chamberlain and favourite in Cleander, a Phrygian freedman who had married one of the emperor's mistresses, Demostratia. It appeared that he had no interest in being a leader, and only wanted to take advantage of his leadership powers to fulfill his own desires. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. The megalomania of Commodus was not limited to the Colosseum. First, she attempted to kill him by poisoning his food. Aside from the manner of his death in Gladiator, Commodus' onscreen depiction has a few other historical reworkings that help add spice to the plot, although some changes serve to tone down the character. [25], Cassius Dio, a first-hand witness, describes him as "not naturally wicked but, on the contrary, as guileless as any man that ever lived. It was presumably there that, on 15 October 172, he was given the victory title Germanicus, in the presence of the army. Watching him collapse and die after restoring his own freedom and ridding Rome of its Tyrant in Chief seems like, well, a downer. "I won't be in here forever!" rasped Commodus. [7], He was looked after by his father's physician, Galen,[8][9] who treated many of Commodus's common illnesses. The consensus was that it was below his office to participate as a gladiator. [33] Cassius Dio and the writers of the Augustan History say that Commodus was a skilled archer, who could shoot the heads off ostriches in full gallop, and kill a panther as it attacked a victim in the arena. According to Cassius Dio, Commodus once killed 100 lions in a single day. ( Public Domain ). He thought of himself as the reincarnation of Hercules, frequently emulating the legendary hero's feats by appearing in the arena to fight a variety of wild animals. Wikimedia CommonsEmperor Commodus lust for power is widely credited with bringing an end to the fabled Pax Romana. Gladiator is a 2000 epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson.The film was co-produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures.DreamWorks Pictures distributed the film in North America while Universal Pictures released it internationally through United International Pictures. It seems likely that he was raised in an atmosphere of Stoic asceticism, which he rejected entirely upon his accession to sole rule. On 31 December 192 AD, Commodus's concubine[2] and conspirator Marcia poisoned Commodus's wine. Updates? With a thirst for power, he ruled the Roman Empire almost 2,000 years ago, declaring himself Emperor A new anthropological study provides a strong message about what happens when social contracts are broken by a previously good government the government and the society collapses hard Commodus, the son and heir of the distinguished philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius , was a failure as a Roman emperor. The first crisis of the reign came in 182, when Lucilla engineered a conspiracy against her brother. While the films fictional account maintains that the killing of Commodus was motivated by the nature of the emperors actions, it is more personal and emotionally charged in the film than in history. Wife of M. Annius Libo: Levick (2014), p. 163. Aurelius himself, and the four emperors that had preceded him, had all been adopted. The legions were renamed Commodianae, the fleet which imported grain from Africa was termed Alexandria Commodiana Togata, the Senate was entitled the Commodian Fortunate Senate, his palace and the Roman people themselves were all given the name Commodianus, and the day on which these reforms were decreed was to be called Dies Commodianus. Roman artwork, 191 - 192 AD. Wikimedia CommonsAn illustration of the murder of Commmodus. In 182 A.D., Commodus sister Lucilla organized an attempt on her brothers life. Maximus defeat of Commodus provides a dramatic conclusion to Gladiator, but the depiction of the malevolent emperors death is historically inaccurate. Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus was born on 31 August AD161 in Lanuvium, near Rome. Commodus was a spoiled, narcissistic young man who was something of an embarrassment to his father. His tumultuous reign as emperor was the starting point for a period of Roman history that is viewed as having been filled with chaos and decline. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus. Upon his fathers death in 180, Commodus became the sole emperor. Was this German silver mine really defended by two Roman forts and a line of "spike defenses? Meanwhile, Commodus was lapsing into insanity. . Unlike Maximus, they all let him win, letting him injure them to a non-fatal degree and then conceding, per LA Times. Gina Dimuro is a New York-based writer and translator. Upon his death, the Senate declared him a public enemy (a de facto damnatio memoriae) and restored the original name of the city of Rome and its institutions. The 2000 film, directed by Ridley Scott, is steeped in the culture of ancient Rome. Although he's very well written, Maximus is more of a plot device to allow the . A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery. Husband of Salonia Matidia: Levick (2014), p. 161. Contrary to the plot of Gladiator where Emperor Commodus is portrayed as having killed Marcus Aurelius the two ruled together, from 177 until the latters death in 180. A small group of conspirators, including the emperors chamberlain and mistress, Marcia, decided to kill him. Quadratus and Quintianus were executed. In the same year, Pertinax unmasked a conspiracy by two enemies of Cleander Antistius Burrus (one of Commodus's brothers-in-law) and Arrius Antoninus. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. However, the ending, while sad, is true to Maximus's goals. In the spring of 190, Rome was afflicted by a food shortage, for which the praefectus annonae Papirius Dionysius, the official actually in charge of the grain supply, contrived to lay the blame on Cleander. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. Having been accepted as emperor by Syria, Judea and Egypt, Cassius carried on his rebellion even after it had become obvious that Marcus was still alive. [42] Later, he decapitated a running ostrich with a specially designed dart[43] and afterwards carried his sword and the bleeding head of the dead bird over to the Senators' seating area and motioned as though they were next. After repeated attempts on Commodus's life, Roman citizens were often killed for making him angry. [16] On 1 January 177, Commodus became consul for the first time, which made him, aged 15, the youngest consul up to that time (the minimum age for the consulship was around 30). To some, this was a sign that Commodus was not actually the biological child of Aurelius, and that his mother had conceived him while engaging in an affair. The first attempt used poisoned meat, but Commodus vomited it up. As he was physically strong, his chief interest was in sport: he took part in horse racing, chariot racing, and combat with beasts and men, mostly in private but also on occasion in public. [40][41] For each appearance in the arena, he charged the city of Rome a million sesterces, straining the Roman economy. Condianus and Maximus were executed on the pretext that while they were not implicated in any plots, their wealth and talent would make them unhappy with the current state of affairs. Commodus never killed his gladiatorial adversaries, instead accepting their surrenders. But now, the people want to know how the story ends. The poison failed, so Narcissus entered Commodus's bedchamber. 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