Elagabalus — The Emperor Rome Wanted To Forget

Comments · 606

• PI

  @PierreDeSilva · 2 months ago

  The Emperor formerly known as Prince ...

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• VK

  @VK2FVAX · 2 months ago

  Elagabalus is the poster child for why you don't give angsty teens absolute power.

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• MM

  @MM-zg4wu · 2 months ago

  Ideal candidate for Eurovision winner before the contest was even invented.

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• SG

  @sgeorge3167 · 2 months ago

  Now that's a role for Eliot Page.

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• JP

  @jprospero9105 · 2 months ago

  I taught Theatre History for years and understand that Elagabalus decreed that sex acts in plays had to be actually performed, not "faked."

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• FR

  @FriedrichNietzsche-e4e · 2 months ago

  unstoppable scroll vs unskippable thumbnail

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• NE

  @nerovanya · 1 month ago

  Honestly I find that large piece of stone surpassing ancient Roman deity hilarious.

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• KA

  @KarlBunker · 2 months ago

  "I have a vewy gweat fwiend in Wome called 'Biggus Dickus'."

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• GI

  @giannisolga5191 · 2 months ago

  In Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance the 'Modern Major General’ sings “I quote in elegaics all the crimes of Heliogabalus“  I visited the Thermal Baths of Caracalla in Rome.  I worked in the Middle East and learned Arabic. I continued learning Arabic after retirement. My Arabic teacher came from Damascus. She had a daughter named Julia Domna. I asked her why she had chosen the name. “What, you mean you’ve never heard of Julia Domna?“ was her shocked reply. Julia Domna was born in Emesa/Homs, Syria. She was the wife of emperor Septimius Severus and mother of emperors Caracall and Geta. Domna, meaning black, refers to the god Elagabalus which took the form of a black stone (to this day Muslims in Mecca circumambulate the black stone of the Ka’aba, while in the temple of Aphrodite on Cyprus a black stone representing Aphrodite was worshipped in antiquity and honored up to this day). Julia Domna's ancestors were priest kings of the temple of Elagabalus. Elagabalus:  El/Ela = god, Gabal/Jabal = mountain, refers to Jabal al-Aqra‘  (bald mountain) in Syria, where El/Ba-al, the god of storms, was worshipped. Seleucos I Nikator (general of Alexander the Great and first Hellenistic king) climbed the mountain to consult the god, as did Roman emperors Trajan, Hadrian and Julian. Julia Domna’s niece, Julia Soaemias, also from Emesa/Homs, Syria, was the mother of Roman emperor Elagabolus. My last remark is cultural rather than religious. European dancing is vigorous, fast, with lots of foot stomping and boot slapping     Oriental dancing, on the other hand, is characterized by sinuous sensual swaying of arms, legs and torso - quite different. It might appear to some as feminine or even effeminate. At any rate, many traditional Romans were put off by Elagabalus’ dancing.

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• RY

  @ryanh4499 · 2 months ago

  Thank you for quality, academic based videos! I really appreciate it. Its nice to see videos on these topics without people making a joke or personal commentary every 2 seconds. Keep up the great work!

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• RU

  @RuinsRiddles · 1 month ago

  Elagabalus is one of those historical figures where the line between fact, propaganda, and political revenge gets incredibly blurry. Rome’s history is full of stories that are far more complicated than they first appear. Fascinating documentary. 👏

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• JO

  @JOGA_Wills · 2 months ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST5fymnc-iE&amp;t=356">5:56</a> I really appreciate the orienting of the map here. It is how our ancestors looked at maps, and I think should be used more when video historians reference a map. Cheers

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