With the recent release of Gladiator II, you may be interested in learning more about the Roman emperors Caracalla and Geta. In The Ancients: Caracalla & Geta: The Real Emperors of Gladiator II host Tristan Hughes and scholar Alex Imrie examine the lives of Carcalla and Geta. Though they were brothers, they were fierce rivals. Their parents maintained peace for a few years but their rivalry turned deadly. I highly recommend this podcast episode to anyone who wants to hear the complete story of Caracalla and Geta.
At the beginning of the episode, you learn about the origin of the Severan Dynasty. Its patriarch, Septimus Severus, was born in Libya, which was an unusual birthplace for Roman emperors. He rose to power in Rome at a time of political instability in Rome and he defeated enemies in civil wars to secure his power. In an attempt to build a dynasty, he appointed his sons Caracalla and Geta to positions of power at young ages.
Hughes and Imrie give detailed accounts of the competition between the brothers. Caracalla and Geta were jealous of the amount of power granted to each other by their father. They recruited people to their side and developed rivaling entourages. To distract them from their feud, Septimus Severus brought them on his campaign to Britain.
While in Britain, Caracalla and Geta avoided conflict but when their father Septimus Severus died, trouble escalated quickly. The brothers ended the conflict in Britain and the two rushed home to seize power. When they returned to Rome, Caracalla deceived Geta to thinking he wished to make peace and assassinated Geta with their mother present. According to certain accounts, Geta was killed while he lay in his mother’s arms.
The tale of Caracalla and Geta is shockingly brutal. In this podcast episode, Imrie cites Roman historians and you learn about the personalities of the brothers. You learn how their rivalry began and the details of Geta’s assassination. Listeners will be astonished by the savagery of what was done to gain power. The Ancients: Caracalla & Geta: The Real Emperors of Gladiator II is fascinating and I highly recommend it.
Michael Walsh is an Adult Service Librarian at the Will Library. He is currently reading Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King.