The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor (superb hardback in very good dust jacket)

Icks, Martijn

ISBN 10: 1848853629 / ISBN 13: 9781848853621

Published by I.B. Tauris, 2011

About this Item

Published by I.B.Tauris in 2011, here is the superb hardback printing of Martijn Icks' The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor. Black cloth binding, silver spine lettering, 276 pages, illustrations the book and dust jacket are both in very good condition.

Seller Inventory # 13491

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor (superb hardback in very good dust jacket)
• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1848853629
• ISBN 13: 9781848853621
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Elagabalus is one of the most notorious of Rome's 'bad emperors': a sexually-depraved and eccentric hedonist who in his short and riotous reign made unprecedented changes to Roman state religion and defied all taboos. An oriental boy-priest from Syria - aged just fourteen when he was elevated to power in 218 CE - he placed the sun god El-Gabal at the head of the established Roman pantheon, engaged in orgiastic rituals, took male and female lovers, wore feminine dress and prostituted himself in taverns and even inside the imperial palace. Since his assassination by Praetorian Guards at the age of eighteen, Elagabalus has been an object of fascination to historians and a source of inspiration for artists and writers. This immensely readable book examines the life of one of the Roman Empire's most colourful figures, and charts the many guises of his legacy: from evil tyrant to firebrand rebel, from mystical androgyne to modern gay teenager, from decadent sensualist to ancient pop star.

About the Author

Martijn Icks is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Dusseldorf, Germany. He obtained his PhD cum laude at the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands in 2008.