The Emperor’s Two Bodies

In the early third century, the body of the emperor came to play an increasingly important role in the dynastic politics of the Roman empire. But the role or, better, the function of the emperor’s body became in the short reign of Elagabalus (218-222) a highly contested issue. For the Severan house Elagabalus’ beautiful, youthful body was seen as a “natural” body that would support the dynastic claim. At the same time, Elagabalus himself and perhaps his mother built a new conception of the emperor’s body that was characterized by Elagabalus’ quest to merge with his god. In this quest Elagabalus sought to transform his body and the imperial body in ways that certain powerful groups in Rome viewed as a religious and political danger for the empire.

In this thesis I combine diverse types of sources, such as coins, inscriptions, portraits, and literary accounts, to reconstruct the representation of the body of this emperor. I show how the cross-gender and the cross-behavior that the literary sources ascribe to Elagabalus’ unrestrained sexuality helps to explain his immersion into worship, seeking unity with his god. This brought the relation of Elagabalus’ natural and imperial body to a breaking point, leading to his destruction.