The African Roman Emperor Who Died At York

Septimius Severus was born in Leptis Magna now in Libya near Tripoli and became the first African Roman Emperor. His family was rich, equestrian ranked and distinguished. His mother has Roman ancestry but his father was Punic (Carthaginian). At the age of seventeen, Septimius Severus gave his first public speech. Obviously having been taught oratory as part of his education, he wanted more learning according to Cassius Dio. His rise to power came under Emperor Commodus when he achieved a position as a commander for the Pannonian legions by the Danube, which included parts of modern Austria, Bosnia and Hungary.
 
Marble bust of Septimius Severus circa 200 AD
Museum of Art History. Vienna, Austria

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Septimius Severus first marriage was to Paccia Marciana, she was from Leptis Magna. He does not mention her in his autobiography, as Emperor he commemorated her with statues. She died of natural causes circa 186AD. They have no children which survived even though the marriage lasted ten years! Julia Domna, the second wife of Septimius Severus was born in the Roman province of Syria. They both studied astrology, mysticism and philosophy. He spoke several languages including Punic, Latin and Greek.
 
Septimius Severus in Scotland
The Northern Campaigns of the First Hammer of the Scots

Since 1975 much new archaeological evidence has come to light to illuminate the immense undertaking of Septimius Severus campaigns in Scotland, allowing for the first time the true story of this savage invasion to be told
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When Commodus was assassinated on the 31st December 192AD, this led to the civil wars of 193AD and the year of the five emperors, Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus (governor of Britannia), and Septimius Severus who on his accession to the throne travelled to Rome. Septimius Severus had his work cut out to stabilise the empire after the chaos of Commodos and the civil war and to try and return it back to the golden age of Marcus Aurelius who died in 180AD, around 13 years earlier. Severus needed the army to stay in power, so he expanded them so much it placed great financial strain on the Roman economy and this impacted on the crisis of the third century a few decades later with near collapse of the empire. Severus raised the annual pay of the soldiers from 300 to 500 denarii and to pay for this he debased the silver coinage which set a precedent for other emperors to debase the coinage in order to pay for the army. Severus's debasement of the Denarius went from 2.15 grams to 1.48 grams which is a 30% reduction in silver. When Septimius Severus was emperor, the Denarius contained 50% silver compared to the 98% silver during the reign of Octavian. On his deathbed, Severus advised his sons ‘Be good to each other, pay the soldiers well, and damn everyone else.’

A Denarius of Septimius Severus showing a British Victory on this coin struck at Rome. The legend on the obverse is "SEVERVS PIVS AVG BRIT" and the reverse "VICTORIAE BRIT' both showing the abbreviated title "Britannicus" 

Septimius Severus, with his sons Caracalla and Geta, ranked as Caesar's campaigned in Britannia in 208AD. Julia Domna, the second wife of Severus, accompanied her family whilst they were in Britannia. They recaptured territory up to and beyond the Antonine Wall with an army of 50,000 men. This is further north than Hadrian's wall which he repaired too. In 210AD the Picts or northern tribes wanted peace and Severus obliged and took the title “Britannicus” for this victory even though it was short-lived as they revolted soon after. He tried to conquer Scotland and took ill whilst on campaign, so he retreated to Eboracum (modern York), where he ordered his own cremation urn of purple stone. When he saw it he said ‘You will hold a man that the world could not hold.’ He died in York on the 4th of February 211 AD aged 65 and was succeeded by his two sons, Caracalla and Geta and this formed the Severan dynasty. There were rumours that Caracalla had tried to bribe the doctors to hasten his father’s death!

This only preserved ancient painting shows Septimius Severus with his his wife Julia Domna and their sons Geta and Caracalla. They wear sumptuous ceremonial garments and Septimius Severus and his sons are holding sceptres and wearing gold wreaths decorated with precious stones. Geta's face has been removed, probably after his murder by his brother Caracalla and the ensuing damnatio memoriae
 
Septimius Severus and the Roman Army

The assassination of Emperor Commodus in 192 sparked a civil war. Septimius Severus emerged as the eventual victor and his dynasty (the Severans) ruled until 235
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Septimius Severus ruled the empire like a dictator with help from his sons. Cassius Dio said that Caracalla and Geta pretended to love each other but behind the scenes, they hated each other and argued on everything! Only time would tell if something terrible would happen! He spared no expense with grand buildings in his home town of Leptis Magna and still, the ruins are magnificent today! Leptis Magna had a natural harbour and a busy port! He is one of the few Emperor's who travelled the Empire from one side to the other! When he died the troops hailed his son's as joint Emperors and they went back to Rome. Ten months later, 26th December 211AD Caracalla ordered the Praetorian Guard loyal to him to murder Geta whilst in the arms of their mother! Less than six years later, on the 8th of April 217 AD, an officer of his personal bodyguard assassinated Caracalla while relieving himself at a roadside near Carrhae (modern Harran, Turkey).

According to Edward Gibbon, Severus began the decline of the Roman Empire!

The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine
The third century of the Roman Empire is a confused and sparsely documented period, punctuated by wars, victorious conquests and ignominious losses, and a recurring cycle of rebellions that saw several Emperors created and eliminated by the Roman armies. In AD 260 the Empire almost collapsed, and yet by the end of the third century the Roman world was brought back.
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Copyright © 2020 David Lee

Romans In Leeds - Aldborough Mosaic

This Mosaic is on display at Leeds City Museum depicting the She-wolf with Romulus and Remus. It's from Aldborough in North Yorkshire and dates to circa 300-400 AD
 
Aldborough was called Isurium Brigantiumm and was inhabited by the Brigantes. A Celtic tribe living in ancient Britain pre-Roman conquest. Aldborough had a Roman Fort and a small town. Dere Street went through Aldborough connecting Eboracum (Modern York) to the Antonine Wall in Scotland. The church stands on the site of the Roman Forum. Aldborough also had an amphitheatre which hasn't been excavated. Isurium Brigantium was possibly built circa 100AD and is right on the edge of the Roman empire being so far north.

Cartimandua was Queen of the Brigantes and ruled at the time of the Roman invasion. The Roman historian Tacitus only names Cartimandua. She appears nowhere else.

The legend is that Princess Rhea Silvia had two twin boys Romulus and Remus and fathered by Mars, the Roman god of war. The King at that time had a vision that he would be overthrown, so he had them put in a basket and put to float on the River Tiber hoping that they would die. They were discovered by the She-Wolf.

Roman Yorkshire: People, Culture and Landscape
Yorkshire was part of the Roman Empire for about 340 years and the remains of the period are all around us to this day. They range from the Roman fortress walls at York to the sites of country villas and humbler farmsteads.
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The fig tree as depicted on the mosaic has important significance in ancient Roman religion and mythology. The FIG tree stood by the Lupercal Cave at the foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome. This is where Romulus and Remus landed on the banks of the River Tiber in a basket. This is where they were found by a she-wolf and nurtured until discovered by Faustulus, a shepherd.

The image of the wolf on this mosaic looks wrong to me. It has the body of a horse and the head of a wolf! Was this mosaic changed whilst being made to put the She-wolf and the twins on? Or perhaps theirs another reason!

Isurium Brigantum: An Archaeological Survey of Roman Aldborough
Modern-day Aldborough, in North Yorkshire, lies on the site of Isurium Brigantum, the former administrative capital of the Brigantes, one of the largest indigenous tribes of Roman Britain. Strategically located on Dere Street, by the second century AD it had become a key Roman town.
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The Archaeology of Roman York
When soldiers of the Roman 9th Legion arrived in AD 70, they built a fortress and this huge military camp formed the foundation of the modern city of York. Roman legionaries were garrisoned in the city for over three centuries and a huge provincial town grew up around them. Eboracum was a city at the edge of the Empire.
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The Romans at Burgodunum – Adel, Leeds, England

The Romans at Burgodunum
Adel, Leeds, England

There is a Roman Fort and Villa at Adel off Eccup Lane (see picture). Not much can be seen above the surface. This was on a Roman road from York to Ilkley and beyond. Ralph Thoresby, a local 18th Century historian had knowledge of the fort and villa and in his diary marked 14th August 1702 suggests possible Roman names for Adel. A number of Romano-British period inscribed stones have been found in Adel as well as two altar-stones dedicated to different deities, now in Leeds City Museum. The Brigantes were Celts who lived in ancient Briton and inhabited Brigantia, what we know as Yorkshire today. Like the Iceni tribe who had the famous Queen Boudica, the Brigantes had Cartimandua who was a first-century Queen who ruled circa 43 to 69AD. Boudicca and Cartimandua were powerful figures in their own right but with very different policies. Boudicca rebelled against Rome and sacked three towns, Camulodunum (modern Colchester), Londinium (modern London) and Verulamium (modern St Albans) whereas Cartimandua allied herself more with Rome. At the time of the Claudian invasion in 43AD, Cartimandua might have been in charge of the Brigantes. On the lost Arch of Claudius an inscription mentioned eleven British rulers including Cartimandu who surrendered without a fight, this, in turn, making the Brigantes a client kingdom of Rome. The Brigantes were the largest tribe in Britain.



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 Roman Britain: A New History
This lively, authoritative account of a crucial period in Britains history has been revised and updated to incorporate the very latest findings and research. Guy de la Bédoyère the popular face of Romano-British archaeological studies puts the Roman conquest and occupation within the larger context of Romano-British society and how it functioned.
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The Archaeology of Roman York
When soldiers of the Roman 9th Legion arrived in AD 70, they built a fortress and this huge military camp formed the foundation of the modern city of York. Roman legionaries were garrisoned in the city for over three centuries and a huge provincial town grew up around them. Eboracum was a city at the edge of the Empire.
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