Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is a rule from which there are exceptions and, nevertheless, it is still a rule. Although it is possible that she corrupts everyone in different ways. Someone orders themselves a gold toilet bowl, sleeps with actresses, and someone executes comrades-in-arms. No wonder the people say: "Who likes the priest, who is the priest, and who is the priest's daughter." Let us recall the Roman emperors: Tiberius corrupted by power, Caligula corrupted and almost so depraved Nero - these are the "talented" heroes of Roman history, disfigured by their absolute power. But which of the Roman emperors was the most depraved? Well, of course, Heliogabalus: out of all this company, he is, by far, the most "immoral freak" on the scale of all excessively obscene.
Bust of Heliogabalus
Priest of the "sunny sky"
The Syrian legion, fascinated by the beauty and charm of a fourteen-year-old boy dressed in a magnificent priestly attire, proclaimed him the rightful Roman emperor, giving him the name of Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antonin Augustus. The very procession of Aurelius Augustus from Syria to Rome was unusual. Before him carried his … portrait! “He was depicted in a priestly garment of silk and gold, wide and long, according to the custom of the Media and Phoenicians; his head was covered with a high crown, and he was wearing many necklaces and bracelets, adorned with the rarest precious stones. His eyebrows were tinted black, and traces of blush and whitewash were visible on his cheeks. Senators had to sadly admit that after Rome endured the formidable tyranny of its own countrymen, it finally had to bow before the pampered luxury of Eastern despotism."
The authority of Heliogabalus was in a certain way ensured by the support of the Roman army, which made it possible for the emperor to mix the rites and beliefs of the East with the traditions of Rome with fanatical zeal. The decoration of his own chapel with statues of Abraham, Apollo, Orpheus and … Christ well illustrates the emperor's intention to bring together all kinds of religions of that time. Heliogabalus, not officially proclaimed under this name, after the construction of a temple in Rome in praise of the god revered by the emperor, whose priest he was, having received power, first of all elevated his mother, granting her the title of senator, which had never happened before. Although Caligula raised his horse to the rank of senator. His plans were to bring Christian, Jewish and Samaritan worship to the temple. So he dreamed of an all-encompassing control over all faiths known to him. Such, rather bold and unacceptable statements, of course, misled the Romans, who increasingly doubted the adequacy of Heliogabalus. The palladium, the fire of Vesta, the shields of the Salii - everything sacred and revered by the Romans was collected under the roof of one temple. At that time, the emperor daily in Syrian clothes, with rouged and whitened cheeks, blackened eyebrows and lined eyes, in the sight of significant Roman persons, performed divine services. He was complemented by dances to music and a choir of young girls. But that was just the beginning.
The peak of the imperial madness fell on the marriage of the "beloved" god of the emperor with the goddess Tinnit, invited from Carthage. In honor of such a divine event, he even sacrificed several handsome youths from revered families, thus resurrecting a custom long forgotten in Rome.
Administrator
The dancer, constantly catering to the whims of the emperor, Heliogabalus made the prefect (chief of police) of Rome, the barber he liked - the prefect of food supplies, his charioteer - the chief of security. It is striking that the Romans were not outraged by the practically demonstrative sale of positions for coins - who will give more. Another thing is that the seats were distributed to men with genitals of non-standard size, with whom Heliogabalus indulged in debauchery. The emperor tried to generously reward the men who pleased him. Former slaves - freedmen - he turned into governors, legates, consuls, thus disgracing the authority of titles, distributing them to any people who liked the ruler. A marriage with a certain Zotikus, who had a significant influence on him, further influenced Heliogabalus. Indeed, not a single emperor in world history has ever dared to do such a thing to this day, although same-sex marriages are now legalized in Europe.
Lottery inventor
However, we still use some of what Heliogabalus invented. After all, it was he who invented … the lottery with prizes! Moreover, this imperial idea for some time softened the attitude of the Romans towards him. Commoners, poor and wretched, were invited to his palace, where they enjoyed food at banquets; and there they were given numbered spoons of tin, silver and gold with numbers engraved on them, which were shouted out at the feast. As a result, someone received ten camels or a slave from Britain, someone a jug of flies, someone ten pounds of gold, and someone a piece of fried pork or a dozen ostrich eggs, for the joy and laughter of others, and above all those who got, for example, dead dogs as a prize. The luckiest one was considered to be the one who won one hundred gold coins with an imperial profile. Intoxicated by wealth and gifts, the Romans admired the generosity and kindness of Heliogabalus. Of course, the Emperor's feast was not like the others. The list of unconventional dishes included: combs cut from live roosters, nightingale brains, beans with amber, boiled peas decorated with golden balls, and rice along with white pearls. And there were also canals filled with wine, from where it was possible to draw it in unlimited quantities.
Sybarite
The emperor's concern to arrange a fantastic and dissimilar holiday and present a gift to a dear guest did not allow him to forget about his own person, so sometimes his meals came out at the cost of at least one hundred thousand sesterces. Sometimes Heliogabalus' mockery of his hangers-on exceeded all likelihood. They were served dishes made of wax and stones, while it was necessary to pretend that they were eating it all. In honor of the eight mutilated, stupid, lame, hunchbacked and one-eyed, specially organized holidays were held, again for the sake of laughter. The emperor's desire to "laugh heartily" reached the point that the unfortunates, when they got drunk, were locked in the same number in a huge cage with tame tame leopards, bears and lions, enjoying their exorbitant fright through secret eyes. He was the only one who learned how to make jelly from fish, oysters, lobsters and crabs, and he came up with the idea of making wine infused with “rose” petals even more aromatic: he decided to add pounded pine cones to it. He ordered all the depraved actions on the performances of mimes to be performed in reality, which previously could only be hinted at. And there was also snow, once brought from afar - another manifestation of the emperor's ambitions: it was intended for the construction of a snowy mountain in the palace of Rome. Heliogabalus introduced into the tradition of Roman culture wearing capes made of pure silk, which he bought at fabulous prices from Chinese dealers. He did not wear any of the expensive items of clothing twice. He slept on couches, the covers of which were stuffed with fluff from … the armpits of hares. There he was the most tender, and how many hares did you need to catch and pluck? He preferred carts lined with gold; instead of horses, naked women were harnessed to them, on which he, too, rode naked throughout the palace. Heliogabal defecated only in golden vessels, but he urinated in onyx.
Fatalist
Abusing his non-traditional sexual needs with girls, men and boys, the emperor did not forget about the prophecy of the Syrian priests, who predicted his violent death. The emperor preferred to prepare for this in advance. Of course, it was considered shameful for the legitimate emperor to die at the hands of a stranger, so silk ropes were spread throughout the palace to hang himself. He prepared both "poisonous" bottles of precious stones, and sharp golden swords to be stabbed in case of fatal circumstances. Around the high tower built, the emperor ordered to lay out the courtyard with gold plates, decorated, of course, with precious stones. He needed this in order to rise to the very height and throw himself down, so that his sacred brains would be smeared not on the ground, but on gold.
Damn
Four years of the reign of the Roman emperor caused a serious resonance in Roman society and a strong disgust of citizens, so a conspiracy was drawn up against the emperor. They began with the murder of the depraved close associates of the emperor, and, moreover, trying to make the type of murder correspond … to their way of life. The emperor himself hid in a latrine, where he was killed along with his mother. There is a version that the body of Heliogabalus was thrown into a cesspool, and then into the Tiber. Although it may be that it got stuck in the hole of the cloaca, so they took it out of there and threw it into the river. A similar fate was exceptional, because all the other emperors killed as a result of conspiracies, starting with Caesar, were nevertheless buried. And here is such a truly sad end. The Senate has forever forbidden to pronounce the name - Antonin, declared damned and dishonored.
The life story of Heliogabalus, who was born in 204 A. D. and ruled from June 8, 218 to March 11, 222, was reflected in the historical works of Herodian and the biographies of Lampridius and Dion Cassius. All of the above details of sexual debauchery are reflected in the writings of these writers. However, what is fiction in all this, and what is a lie, today is no longer possible. Truth always flies somewhere in the clouds.
