Table of Contents
Family Tree vi
List of Illustrations xiii
Map x
Introduction: The Roses of Heliogabalus 1
1 The Revolt: Syria, May AD 218 13
I The Flight 13
II Domna's Plot 17
III Maesa's Plot 21
IV The Acclamation 30
V Maesa's Face 34
VI The Siege - 1 37
VII Finding a Father 41
VIII The Siege - 2 45
2 The Backstories: Rome and Emesa, 753 BC to AD 218 48
I Rome: The Children of the Wolf 48
II Emesa: The Children of the Sun 55
3 The Battle: Syria, May to June AD 218 68
I Macrinus' Beard 68
II Death in Apamea 73
III The Feast 75
IV Messages 79
V The March 82
VI The Battle 88
VII To Antioch 93
4 Identities and Racism 97
I Classical Racism? 97
II The Identity of Emesa 101
III The Making of Heliogabalus 108
5 The Journey: The East, Summer to Winter AD 218 119
I Where was Macrinus? 119
II The Object of Reproach 122
III Securing the East 123
IV Securing the West 129
V Heliogabalus' Face - 1 136
VI The Journey 138
VII In Nicomedia 143
6 Power 150
I The Legitimate Emperor: Above the Law 150
II The Passive Emperor: 'Petition and Response' 153
III The Active Emperor: 'Four Constituencies' 159
7 In Rome, AD 219-21 168
I Adventus 168
II Choices: Those Heliogabalus Rejected 173
III Choices: Those Heliogabalus Accepted 178
IV Heliogabalus' Face - 2 201
8 Religion 203
I Seeing the Gods 203
II Emperors: Between Men and Gods 206
III The Black Stone of Elagabal 209
IV The Most High Priest of the Invincible Sun 219
V The Offence: What Went Wrong? 227
9 In the Provinces, AD 219-22 232
I Talking about God in Anazarbus 232
II Money, a Daemon and a Scribe 240
10 Sex 249
I Paralysed by Prohibitions? 249
III 'Call me not Lord, for I am a Lady' 252
11 Death, 26 June AD 221 to 13 March AD 222 265
I Finding a Son 265
II The Power of Women 271
III To the Tiber 275
12 The Reckoning: 13 to 14 March AD 222 289
I The Trappings and the Name of Emperor 289
II The Hatred of Everyone 295
13 The Afterlife of Heliogabalus: Tyrant, Aesthete, Queer Icon, Fashionista, in Art Criticism and as a Roman Lady, AD 222 to AD 2022 301
Author's Note 317
Further Reading 321
Acknowledgements 326
Index 327