Cassius Dio, Caracalla, and the Senate

• Autores: Andrew G. Scott
• Localización: Klio: Beitrage zur alten geschichte, ISSN 0075-6334, Vol. 97, Nº 1, 2015, págs. 157-175
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Recently, efforts have been made to characterize Cassius Dio’s history of the reign of Caracalla as reflective of the experiences of a marginalized senator, rather than of the senate as a whole. A re-evaluation of Dio’s account suggests that Dio’s version of events should remain the most valuable literary source for this period. Dio maintained a consistent view of the principate throughout his contemporary history, and his depiction of Caracalla as hostile toward the senate is supported by other sources. Finally, a survey of Dio’s political career shows that he evaluated each emperor in his contemporary history through the example of the ideal emperor, Marcus Aurelius, not according to the favor (or lack thereof) he experienced under each ruler.