The Late Roman Emperor Caracalla

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the life and death of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus who reigned from 211 to 217 C.E., and was known as Caracalla from the Gallic hooded tunic that he wore. The author explains that although he was a ruthless man and authorized many assassinations, even in his own family, he took great care of his army and marched with them, ate with them and fought with them. As a monument to himself, he commissioned the Baths of Caracalla, one of the last major architectural achievements of the Roman Empire, and the largest public bath ever built in ancient Rome. The paper describes them in detail and concludes that although Caracalla's reign was infamous for many reasons, it was not entirely negative, as Caracalla saw to it that the soldiers in the army were treated well and the baths that he had constructed are part of Rome's cultural heritage today.

Outline:
Introduction
The Rise To Power
The Reign Of Caracalla
The Army and the Legacy
The Fall of Caracalla
The Baths of Caracalla
Dimensions and Layout of the Baths
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"He was much like his father in that he was a strong and often cruel ruler and did not give others any second chances (Chastagnol, 1994). He had his own agenda that he followed, and he did not deviate from it just because it was unpopular or because others though that he was unfair. Mostly, people kept their opinions of him to themselves so that they could be left alone by the government and remain alive. Not everyone felt that they had to submit to the rule of Caracalla or that he was a fair emperor, and some people were killed because they became too vocal, but many others survived quietly."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Birley, Anthony R. (1988). Septimius Severus: The African Emperor, 2nd ed. Yale: New Haven Connecticut.
• Chastagnol, Andre. (1994). Historie Auguste. Robert Laffont: Paris.
• DeLaine, Janet. (1997) The Baths of Caracalla. Portsmouth, Rhode Island
• Meckler, Michael. (1994). Caracalla and his late-antique biographer: A historical commentary on the Vita Caracalli in the Historia Augusta. University of Michigan.
• Millar, Fergus. (1993). The Roman near east. Harvard: Cambridge, Mass.

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