Having an Elaga-BALL-us

Rome had many, many, MANY controversial leaders. From Cesar himself all the way to little Caligula in his wee boots, Rome is no stranger to odd people at the helm. So when even Romans themselves considered someone the worst, most shocking emperor that should tell you how bad, and ultimately very weird, things are gonna get. This month our heroes C. Alexandra and John Cordial tackle Rome's most controversial emperor and first official twink. Maybe even the first historical twink, that's debatable, but he sounds delightful and horrible and we'd love you to join us for a little history of Elagabalus.

Sources:
Cassius Dio — Roman History

Heriodan — History of the Roman Empire

Historia Augusta

More reading:

Adrian Goldsworthy — How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower

Martijn Icks — The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor

And some fun books on Ancient Roman:

Emma Southon — A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; A Rome of One's Own; Agrippina

Mary Beard — SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

Suetonius — The Twelve Caesars

The History of Rome Podcast