Septimius Severus: The African Emperor

by Anthony R. Birley

In this, the only biography of Septimius Severus in English, Anthony R. Birley explors how 'Roman' or otherwise this man was and examines his remarkable background and career.
Severus was descended from Phoenician settlers in Tripolitania, and his reign, AD 193-211, represents a key point in Roman history. Birley explores what was African and what was Roman in Septimius' background, given that he came from an African city. He asks whether Septimius was a 'typical cosmopolitan bureaucrat', a 'new Hannibal on the throne of Caesar' or 'principle author of the decline of the Roman Empire'?

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Africa, Roman History, Italy, Ancient History

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Anthony Richard Birley FSA was a British ancient historian, archaeologist and academic.

Reviews

[Brock Tarlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lesser degree of dope.

[Colin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this book is, as far as I can tell, impeccably researched, it is nevertheless the *driest* biography I've ever read. Best to avoid this one unless you need it for reference - you know, when you *really* need the facts about the life and reign of Septimius Severus.

[Fadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been an excellent, thorough and, in my view, still the foremost work on the life of Rome’s first African and truly provincial emperor. However, I will begin my review by countering the skewed criticisms leveled against the author and the emperor.

The reviewers’ labels of the text being “dry” and lacking in supporting material such as maps are unwarranted. Septimius reigned in the middle of Rome’s imperial reign between the ascension of Augustus and the consolidation of the Constantinian dynasty under Constantine. Birley has provided context around Septimius’ life prior to him being crowned in order for the readers to understand what drove some of his policies and decisions. As for the issue of the maps, any reader, whether an academic or layman, should have awareness of the empire’s territories and hot zones, especially the frontiers and their conflicts which dominated the attention of the emperors. After all, emperors were spending less and less time in Italy as the frontier wars required their presence. This contributed to the division of the empire into the tetrarchy and finally into East and West.
As for the book itself, the usual list of historians is heard from as they provide a large amount of information on Septimius along with the inscriptions from dedicatory statues and building dedications. Despite great predecessors such as Trajan and Hadrian being heiled as a “novi hominem” (new man), they were Italian-bred and far removed from their ancestral homelands. Even then, they were descendants of Italic veteran settlers. Septimius embodied the capabilities of a man growing up in the golden age of Roman law and order, growing up in a multicultural, albeit stratified, society, being immersed in Punic, Latin and Hellenic cultures. His networking in his homeland would manifest itself later in the appointment of fellow countrymen to the key positions in the government and army that would ensure his success in the civil wars.

It is tempting to ascribe the deterioration of the empire to his reign and policies but it must be remembered that he grew up in the shadow of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. Marcus’ decision, despite his overestimated stoic wisdom, reversed the adoption policy and elevated his sole son to the position of emperor. If Septimius is to be discredited for appointing his sons as senior and junior co-emperors, Marcus is to be blamed for establishing the precedent.

Septimius displayed a level of vigour and courage surpassing Augustus and the other contenders of the republican civil wars, only being matched by Aurelian decades after. He traversed the empire and defeated other emperors who yielded considerable field armies and territories. Rather than resting on his laurels, he utilised his extensive army experience and pushed the borders further east, conquering the Parthian capital, and extending the African borders into the “deep south”. Old age and illness were not enough to overpower his mind either, he launched his twilight campaign into Britain but that may have been driver more by a desire for personal glory than practical benefits. There is no telling how much differently the history of the western world would have panned out if he’d consolidated Roman rule over Mesopotamia and Assyria.

Some of the most surprising information yielded from this book was the indirect effect he had on the development of the European laws. Septimius exhibited a keen level of interest in the law and presided over many cases. As part of his policy of appointing North Africans and Syrians to positions of power, Aemilius Papinianus, a Syrian military man and jurist with experience dating from the reign of Marcus Aurelius, was given joint command of the Guard. Along with fellow easterners Domitius Ulpianus and Salvius Julianus, the trio produced vast volumes of legal texts which would earn them warm remembrance by future generations and would serve as the basis of the codified laws of Justinian and future European laws.

Despite the hope of renewal and stability that Septimius instilled throughout his reign, we witness his failure in prioritising the greater good over his paternal love. A possible attempt at regicide on the battlefield in Caledonia by Caracalla wasn’t enough to clarify his mind nor was his acknowledgement of his sons’ irreconcilable rivalry.

[Harry B · Rating 2 out of 5]

***2.5 Stars out of 5***

Birley's retelling of Septimius Severus' life is a valiant attempt considering the extreme scarcity of ancient sources regarding his reign. However, this book contains a lot of waffle, which sadly is to be expected from the dirth of sources and evidence to draw from. Much of the early chapters of the book are titled differently from its content that it forced me to drive through them without being interested with what I was reading. Some chapters are simply fillers, discussing the background of Septimius' native city of Lepcis Magna, the surrounding region of the city, the dramatis personae who immediately surrounded the man, but also (to my absolute detriment of utter boredom) those others who are compeltely secondary to the story of Septimius' rise to power and his reign. Much of the fun came from his campains during the civil wars which followed Commodus' death, and so too the wars he waged against the Parthians and the peoples of Ancient Scotland. So too are the palace intrigues which plagued his family and imperial staff, which I do not intend to excluded from this list. Overall, again, Birley made an admirable attempt at constructing a narrative which will no doubt help other scholars dealing with Septimius' reign, but I do not see how it will be of much help in understanding his legacy and impact on the Empire, since most of this analysis was mentioned passingly in the conclusory chapter. Nonetheless, for lay readers or amateur historians (like I humble see myself to be), I would recommend this book. It is a useful introduction to his reign, but for myself personally, an indispensible sourcebook on the situational context of Ancient Rome following Commodus' death, and provides a good picture for helping me figure out why the culture of constant regicides began at around this time, and especially after Septimius' dysnasty expired. This book in short is great for having a clearer picture of the "whys" underlying the crisis of the third century.

[Andrew Dockrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Septimius Severus, the first African Emperor and the first "Hammer of the Scots" who would be known in the ancient history circles as the father of the cruel Antoninus, or as history calls him (Caracalla) because of the hood he wore. Much of what we know of Septimius Severus is from historians such as Dio and Herodian. The book itself was quite good I don't know what the majority of people were complaining about. The book was quite well written, granted the beginning was a bit boring when it was discussing Tripoltania where Septimius was born, but once it actually began to discuss Roman politics it picked up. It was also enjoying reading about Helvius Pertinax who I adore as an emperor - granted he didn't have much of a reign, as he was cut down by the Praetorians where he confronted the conspirators admirably - in my opinion- and was cut down but Tausius, but I've always found him to be a likable emperor. Then of course we meet Didius Julianus who would win the bid for the empire which was the first time and only time the empire would be won by an auction - but he wouldn't last long either.

Of course Severus would begin his reign when he made himself Emperor while he was in Africa and made his march to Rome claiming to be "the avenger of Pertinax" but his rival Pescennius Niger would also make a bid for the throne at the same time and Severus would eventually put him down by his general Julius Laetus near Issus where Alexander had fought. Severus would then have to put down the second usurper of Claudius Albinus who had proclaimed himself emperor in Gaul having left Brittania.

It was also interesting when reading the book when the Severus family was in Britain when Septimius was trying to recreate the life of Agricola and take over Scotland essentially, when he was meeting with the Caledonians I believe, the records indicate that Antoninus (Caracalla) was traveling with his father to discuss terms with the Caledonians and while Antoninus was riding behind his father, he drew his sword by his father until his father was warned that he had done this. Septimius later scolded Antonius for doing this in front of the Caledonians and their own army and said if you wish to kill me, do so in privacy. The author who had written about this, who I believe was Dio likely wanted to establish foreshadowing for Antoninus traits as a power hungry or cruel man.

The book would end when Septimius died and Antoninus launched and coup and had Geta killed and then Antoninus went East with his army and was cut down by Macrinus who was then killed by Elagabalus, who was then outed by a coup launched by Severus Alexanders mother.

All in all the book was pretty good, I have no complaints, it served its purpose and was a fun read and I would probably read it again, or at least refer back to it for an essay.

[Paul Fitz-George · Rating 2 out of 5]

Living 100 metres away from the imperial road that Serverus would have travelled along from Eboracum to Caledonia, I was looking forward to an insight into this fascinating emperor from North Africa. Alas, it was not to be.

The exploits of the bandit leader Felix Bulla and the Caledonian ‘free spirit’ and ‘best sex in the open’ preferences of a chief's woman, are seemingly preferred by Birley, to Serverus’ ongoing struggles to maintain the imperial leviathan that was Rome and at the same time, reign in his son’s excesses.

There is little if any praise of his life from Birley, who wisely leaves this to a contemporary of Serverus, Cassius Dio, who actually knew him.

It often reads like a dry appendix with an appendix at the end, a blizzard of names and titles more akin to an administrative report to some nameless grandee, than what it could have been, an insight into the life of one of the most powerful men on earth at that time. Birley is an academic, writing for other like-minded (suitably dry) academics, not for an inquisitive public.

Little if any real insight into Severus the man is provided, other than comments on his infatuation with astrology, his troubled relationship with his Commodus-emulating son Antoninus (who became Caracalla) and his nepotism towards the fellow citizens of his beloved Lepcis.

If you’re hoping for an insightful AJP Taylor take on Severus, or an opinionated and engaging Sir Mortimer Wheeler soliloquy, you’re (in my opinion) going to be disappointed.

[Jeremy Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an amazing achievement, but drier than the sum of its parts, so you have to respect the research and erudition that make up this biography of one of Rome's lesser known emperor's, but you are excused for finding it a bit dull in places. This is nothing on Adrian Goldsworthy's monumental Caesar: Life of a Colossus with it's pulsating narrative that reads almost like a blockbuster novel, this is academic, interesting, and occasionally it sweeps you up. Some dedication required.

[Peter Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful, but fairly standard, biography of Septimius. A little bit too much "kings and things" although there is a little insight into the wider world of Rome in the late 2nd century - in particular in the earlier part of the book about Lepcis and northern Africa. This disappears once Septimius is emperor and it becomes a much more standard reading of his story without really connecting it to what comes after (the third century crisis). So good, but not great.

[Bill Baar · Rating 3 out of 5]

You need a map of Roman Britain towards the end of the book. A map of the Roman world would have helped throughout. Septimius Severus was an Emperor on the go and the places names ancient and modern didn't always click an image for me. I plan on reading more of Birley's books though. I had this one sitting around from an old History Book Club membership and Birley hooked me here.

[Vladimiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Validissima biografia del "primo vero imperatore provinciale" di Roma. Traiano e gli altri erano sì provinciali, ma discendenti di famiglie italiche trapiantate all'estero; non avevano un retroterra culturale nella provincia dell'impero.

Non è così per i Settimi. L'autore dedica i primi due capitoli ad una dottissima illustrazione della storia dell'Africa Romana e in particolare di Leptis Magna. Se qualcuno mi chiedesse "un'opera che mostra cosa fu la romanizzazione", allora indicherei questi straordinari primi capitoli in cui l'autore, con l'ausilio di tutte le fonti (archeologiche, letterarie, epigrafiche) ci mostra la transizione da una città punica, di lingua punica, cultura punica-libica ad una città romana con una elitè romanizzata, che piano piano muta i propri nomi in latino e dall'essere governata dai suffeti (come a Cartagine) si dota del duumvirato.

Poi c'è la storia di Settimio Severo. L'autore, oltre a raccontare i numerosi fatti della sua vita e, per quanto possibile, i principali provvedimenti amministrativi, riesce ad illuminare il carattere del nostro. Severo fu veramente sospeso tra la "saggezza" di Marco Aurelio e la durezza di ferro del periodo post-Commodo. Severo fu tale anche di nome. Promise che non avrebbe ucciso alcun senatore e poi ne fece però strage. Lo snodo fondamentale dell'uccisione del prefetto del pretorio Plauziano, suo braccio destro e "quasi-imperatore", è ben rappresentato.

Ci sarebbe tantissimo da dire (la riforma della guardia pretoriana, l'emergere della nobiltà africana ed orientale, le riforme in Egitto, le guerre contro i Parti, i figli Caracalle e Geta), mi limiterò ad assicurarvi che ognuno di queste tematiche occupa ampio spazio nel libro. L'unica che rimane sottotono è Giulia Domna, la moglie di Settimio Severo, che pure fu una delle grandi imperatrici della storia romana, la "Livia" della sua epoca, che non mi è sembrata ben approfondita.

Consigliatissimo.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough academic biography of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (lived, 145–211). Anthony Birley does a good job assembling what is known about Septimius' family background in Roman north Africa and the Punic culture of the region. Sources are thin, but Birley draws on other history to paint a portrait of the partly Romanized, largely Punic, province of Africa. The facts of Septimius' life are drawn from a few sources, and Birley does an excellent job in evaluating that evidence, especially from the often dubious and anonymous Historia Augusta. Septimius Severus is significant for several reasons, being the first emperor from Africa, the founder of a dynasty that would rule Rome (with a disruption by a usurper) for nearly half a century, and for his attempt to extend the empire's territory into Saharan Africa, Persia, and Britain. Septimius was also an island of relative stability between the civil war that brought him to power and the prolonged crises of the 3rd Century.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather dry, scholarly biography of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus--perhaps the most thorough one available in English. Much attention is paid to his African background and Phoenician heritage.

[Matt Evans]

So far so good. It goes into considerable detail on the Emperor who helped usher in the crisis of the third century.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative biography of the Emperor, of interest more to the researcher and academic than the general reader, as the author is not a stylist.

[Bettie]

to look into the deals/hunt down