Commodus

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Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus (originally Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus) (August 31, 161–December 31, 192) was a Roman Emperor who ruled from 180 to 192. He is often considered to have been one of the worst Roman Emperors, in the mould of Nero and Caligula — along with whom, because of his instability and excesses, he is sometimes called one of the Mad Emperors. His ascension brought to a close the era of the five Good Emperors.

Life

Commodus was the son of the popular and successful Marcus Aurelius. He had a twin brother, Antoninus, who died when he was about four years old, and a sister, Lucilla, who was implicated in plots to overthrow him. He was made co-emperor in 177, during his father's lifetime; when he became sole emperor upon the death of his father in 180, it was at first seen as a hopeful sign by the people of the Roman Empire.

Nevertheless, as generous and magnanimous as his father was, Commodus turned out to be just the opposite, with the sole exception being that he stopped the persecution of Christians started by his father. Commodus, being the son of Marcus Aurelius, was one of the best prepared Roman emperors in history. Unfortunately his intent was not to rule, but to bask in a life of wealth and luxury. Commodus is often thought to have been insane, and he was certainly given to excess. He began his reign by making an unfavourable peace treaty with the Germanic tribe of the Marcomanni, who had been at war with Marcus Aurelius, thus surrendering the territories his father conquered. Later, Commodus would wage wars of his own against the Germans, often winning partial victories yet claiming the honours for a full victory in the Roman Senate.

Commodus was extremely proud of his physical prowess, disdaining the more philosophic inclinations of his father. He ordered many statues to be made showing him dressed as Hercules with a lion's hide and a club. 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. Dion Cassius 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.

The emperor also had a passion for gladiatorial combat, which he took so far as to take to the arena himself, dressed as a gladiator. This was considered scandalous by the people of Rome, who regarded gladiators as occupying the lowest rungs of society. Commodus always won since his opponents always submitted to the emperor. Thus, these public fights would not end in a death. Privately, it was his custom to slay his practice opponents. For each appearance in the arena, he charged the city of Rome a million sesterces, straining the Roman economy.

Commodus was most extensively prepared for succession as emperor. However, being born in luxury, work was foreign to him, and subsequently neglected matters of state while dallying with a harem of some 300 men and women. He appointed his underlings to administer the Empire, and shared in the money these men stole. Numerous ancient authorities also record rumours of an incestuous relationship with his sister. Commodus sold his duties as emperor to an advisor named Cleander, which led to widespread corruption at the highest levels and drained the Roman treasury.

In 190, part of the city of Rome burned, and Commodus took the opportunity to "re-found" the city of Rome in his own honour, as Colonia Commodiana. The months of the calendar were all renamed in his honour (Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, Exsuperatorius, Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, Pius [link]), and the Senate was renamed as the Commodian Fortunate Senate. The army became known as the Commodian Army.

A year later, Commodus was strangled in his bath by the wrestler Narcissus, ordered by Commodus' mistress/cousin Marcia, a day before he planned to march into the Senate dressed as a gladiator to take office as consul. Upon his death the Senate passed a damnatio memoriae on him and restored the proper name to the city of Rome and its institutions. However, in 195, the emperor Septimius Severus, trying to gain favor with the family of Marcus Aurelius, rehabilitated the memory of Commodus and had the Senate deify him.

Legacy

Commodus's rule is considered the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire. The Roman economy was ruined through his selling of high offices to incompetent people resulting in massive corruption and misappropriation. Additionally, his indulgence for gladiatorial combat amounted to about one-million sesterces paid by the City of Rome for each event (a used copper pot was [worth] around 65 sesterces).

Commodus in popular culture

Film

• The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), played by Christopher Plummer
• Gladiator (2000), played by Joaquin Phoenix

Both these films were loosely based on the career of the emperor Commodus, although they should not be taken as accurate historical depictions of his life.

Other

• British adventure writer Talbot Mundy's novel Caesar Dies deals with Commodus' murder and events leading up to it.
• More recently the video game [[Colosseum: Road to Freedom]] has included Commodus as an opponent in the Colosseum.
• Along with other contemporary figures, Commodus also features prominently in the historically authentic MMORPG Roma Victor, which is set in the 180s.

External links