The History of Rome

By August of 238, the other five men who had claimed a share of the purple were dead, leaving 13-year-old Gordian III as the last man standing.

In 238, a revolt in Africa sparked a revolution in Rome that would eventually lead to six different men claiming the title of Augustus.

After bungling a campaign in the east, Alexander headed to the Rhine where he was assassinated by Maximinius Thrax in 235 AD.

Alexander was only 13 when he ascended to the throne in 222. With the help of his mother and a few key advisers, he managed to avoid being the kind of disaster that previous teenage Emperors had been.  

Elagabalus became Emperor in 218 AD at the tender age of 14. His short reign was defined by a scandalous private life and an obsession with the eastern sun god El-Gabal. 

Carcalla was killed by his Praetorian Prefect Macrinus in 217 AD. Macrinus then spent a troubled year as Emperor before the House of Severus came back to challenge his rule.

Septimius Severus died in 211 while campaigning in Britain. He left the Empire to his sons, but their mutual hatred for one another meant that one of them was going to wind up dead.

After defeating Clodius Albinus, Septimius Severus turned over daily administration of the Empire to his Praetorian Prefect Gaius Plautianus, while the Emperor himself went looking for further military vicotries in Parthia.  

Septimius Severus became the undisputed Emperor of Rome after defeating Pescennius Niger in 194 and Clodius Albinus in 197.

After buying the Imperial throne, Didius Julianus only remained in power for 66 days before being ousted by Septimius Severus.

After Commodus was assassinated, Pertinax reigned for 86 days. He was murdered by the Praetorian Guard in March 193 and the Imperial throne was auctioned off the highest bidder.

Commodus went off the deep end around 190 AD and was finally killed by his inner circle in 192.

The reign of Commodus turned on a botched assassination attempt orchestrated by his sister in 182 AD.

Marcus elevated Commodus to the position of co-Emperor and then died a few years later while campaigning in the north.

In 175 Avidius Cassius led a brief revolt in the east that forced Marcus to postpone his final triumph along the Danube. 

The Romans fought a series of campaigns against a coalition of German tribes from 167-175. They were on the verge of total victory when news arrived of a rebellion in the east.

After some initial setbacks, Marcus sent Lucius east to deal with a suddenly critical war with Parthia in 162.

Marcus Aurelius was destined to become Emperor, but his insistence that Lucius Verus share the honor came as a surprise to everyone.  

Big question-time blowout!

In which I talk for way too long about where the best tin deposits in the Roman Empire can be found.

Life in Rome began at dawn and lasted until sunset. Work was done in the mornings while the afternoon was reserved for recreation.  

With Roman education leaving much to be desired, many citizens found enlightenment in the eastern mystery cults or Greek philosophy.

The Roman world was divided between slaves, freedmen, and free citizens of every economic class. Gross inequality though was the order of the day, with the Emperor himself controlling the lion's share of the Empire's wealth.

Antoninus's reign is often pointed to as the golden age of the Roman Empire. In many ways the assessment is correct, though unresolved issues would come back to haunt his successors.

After returning to Italy in 134 Hadrian spent a final few miserable years trying to plan the long term future of the Imperial dynasty before dying in 138.