Roman Emperor: Life and Reign of Commodus Quiz

Answer: Lanuvium

Born Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus, Commodus was born in Lanuvium (modern day Lanuvio, which is a commune of Rome) located around 20 miles (30 km) away from the city.

Commodus was a twin, having an older brother named Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus who died in 165 AD.

Answer: Faustina the Younger

Faustina the Younger was born in around 130 AD during the reign of Hadrian. She was the daughter of Antoninus Pius, who was Roman emperor from 138-161 AD. Commodus was born not long after Antoninus Pius (his grandfather) had passed away. Commodus' mother had been raised in wealth, and was firstly betrothed to Lucius Aurelius Commodus, that is, Lucius Verus, who ruled Rome jointly with Marcus Aurelius. She married the latter in 145 AD. Marcus Aurelius was her cousin.

Hadrian had adopted Antoninus Pius as heir after his first choice of heir, Aelius Verus, had passed away. This made Faustina destined to play a role in the ideas of Hadrian, who had originally intended to have her married to Lucius Verus. Hadrian's plan was tampered with after his death, with Faustina being betrothed to Marcus Aurelius at the command of her father. She married the 24 year old Marcus Aurelius at aged 15.

Faustina the Younger would have 14 children, and at least 6 of them died very young.

Answer: Complications during medical surgery

Marcus Annius Verus was born between 162-163 AD. He was the twelveth or thirteenth child of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger. He was made Caesar (crown prince) in 166 AD. He died in 169 AD aged 7, because of a surgery that was performed on him in an attempt to remove a tumour from his ear. His death meant that Commodus was the sole heir to the Roman throne.

Since the reign of Vespasian between 69-79 AD, Marcus Aurelius was the first Roman emperor to have a legitimate biological son and heir to the Roman throne. However, given the reputation of Faustina the Younger's apparent fondness for extramarital liaisons with Roman gladiators, Commodus may not have been as legitimate as he appeared.

Answer: Bruttia Crispina

Bruttia Crispina was the daughter of Roman consul, Gaius Bruttius Praesens, and his wife, Valeria. Part of a wealthy and well-connected family, her grandparents were Roman senator, Gaius Bruttius Praesens, and Roman heiress, Laberia Hostilia Crispina.

Her date of birth is not certain, but she married Commodus when he was 16 in 178 AD. Her marriage to him earned her the title "Augusta." Her marriage to Commodus did not result in children.

Answer: Galen

Aelius Galenus (or "Galen") was one of the most reputable doctors of the ancient world. His studies and theories were prevalent in Western science for over 1,300 years. He was particularly fond of dissection, purporting the importance of this to understand anatomy precisely. Due to his talents he was present with Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Versus whilst they were co-ruling the Roman throne, during a military campaign in Italy.

Galen was Commodus' doctor throughout most of his life, treating his illnesses and ailments. Cassius Dio asserts that in around 189 AD during Commodus' rule, 2,000 people every day were killed due to some kind of plague in Rome, likely the same pandemic that struck during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Galen appears to have been able to shield Commodus from this plague, given that Commodus died in 192 AD from a different cause.

Answer: Commodus devalued the currency of Rome

One of Commodus' first acts as Roman emperor was to devalue the denarius, the currency of Rome. He reduced the weight of the currency from 3.85 grams to 3.35 grams, and also diluted the purity of the silver from 79% to 76%. It only took him 6 years to also reduce the purity of Rome's gold coins. This was mainly to ensure that he had enough precious metals to fund his opulent lifestyle, a move that did not make him very popular with the Roman Senate from the beginning. He also had a habit of simply buying his legionnaires loyalties as a quick fix, rather than earning their loyalty through camaraderie and loyalty, such as previous Roman emperor Hadrian had done. Commodus' devaluation of the Roman currency caused the biggest dip since Nero had done the same during his time on the throne.

Although Commodus taxed the Roman Senate to fund his extravagance, he was astute enough to understand that generosity towards the average Roman person would further cement his reign. He hosted lavish events for Roman citizens, literally keeping them amused with "bread and circuses." He also paid certain Roman military personnel well in order to reduce his risk of being assassinated by the Praetorian Guard, a fate that had befallen emperors before him.

Commodus throughout his reign would prove to be very fond of quick fixes. His devaluation of the Roman currency caused lasting damage to the Roman economy in the long term, and this was a stark comparison to Marcus Aurelius' careful spending. Cassius Dio certainly noticed this, although was wise enough not to criticise Commodus' offensive extravagance to his face.

Answer: Lucilla

Born Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla, or simply known as "Lucilla," Lucilla was the wife of Marcus Aurelius' adopted co-ruler, Lucius Versus. She was also Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger's second daughter, and the elder sister of Commodus. She had a twin brother who died young named Gemellus. When she was between the ages of 11 and 14, she married Lucius Versus in 164 AD. Lucius Versus was Roman co-emperor between 161 until his death in 169.

Commodus was never interested in performing the duties of a Roman emperor, and was much more interested in hedonism and leisurely pursuits such as chariot racing and parties. He was quick to execute and punish anyone who crossed him even slightly. As his behaviour became more and more inappropriate and erratic, Lucilla enlisted people she knew to kill the emperor. The plan was to stab Commodus as he entered the hunting theatre, but the man in charge of executing him, Pompeianus Quintianus, missed and Commodus escaped with his life. Some sources state that his would-be assassin ruined the element of surprise by shouting "See! This is what the Senate sends you!", therefore inadvertently giving Commodus time to get out of the way.

Lucilla was imprisoned on the island of Capri, alongside her daughter and Bruttia Crispina, Commodus' wife (who was there on separate charges of adultery). The women on Capri were executed later in 182 AD.

Answer: Hercules

In around 190 AD, Commodus decided that he was the living incarnation of Hercules and was very sincere in this belief. Ancient historian Herodian asserts that not only did Commodus forsake his family name, but he also abandoned the imperial Roman way of dressing, donning a lion skin and carrying around a club meant to look like the one Hercules is typically depicted as holding. In some art work that had survived to this day, Commodus is depicted with a lion skin upon his head, a nod to the 12 labors of Hercules, as well as holding the golden apples of Hesperides.

Commodus also saw fit to rename Rome "Colonia Commodiana" that is, the "Colony of Commodus."

Answer: Marcia

Marcia Aurelia Ceionia Demetrias was the daughter of an imperial freedman (under Lucius Versus) and was also once the mistress of a great-nephew of Marcus Aurelius, Ummidius Quadratus. She also concerned herself with giving Commodus political advice, much to the chagrin of Roman writers of the time. She married Commodus' own chamberlain, Eclectus, which never bothered Commodus enough to stop the wedding, but also never bothered him enough to stop his own liaisons with her.

A Christian apologist from the 3rd century, Hippolytus of Rome, asserts that Marcia had sympathy to the plight of Christianity. She convinced Commodus to be more merciful of Christians, and, although she was not his wife, he respected her and her opinions as if she were. Despite this, Marcia was involved in Lucilla's plot to murder Commodus, but she escaped without any charge.

Answer: Fire

In 191 AD, Rome was afflicted with a fire that burned for days. The Temple of Peace (or "Temple of Pax"), which had stood since the reign of Vespasian, was destroyed. Herodianus had called it at the time, "the largest and most beautiful building in the city." The Temple of Vesta was also decimated, however, the Vestal Virgins managed to save the Palladium, that is, the statue of Pallas Athena, which was hailed at the time as being brought from Troy to Rome. Herodianus states that the fire stopped only when rain fell, but Cassius Dio (perhaps more dramatically) asserts that the fire only stopped when there was nothing left to burn.

Ever the opportunist, Commodus re-founded Rome with himself as the new Romulus (that is, the legendary first king of Rome). Not content with just this, he re-named all 12 months of the year after himself, using the many names he had adopted along his egotistical journey.

Answer: Tiberius

Commodus' names which he later used to name the months of the year are as follows: Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, Exsuperatorius, Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, and Pius.

"Exsuperatorius" is Latin for "conquering" or "victorious", and Commodus saw fit to replace November with this name of his. "Amazonius" was linked to his concubine Marcia, who he felt was as striking and beautiful as an Amazon, and loved to portray as such. "Augustus" was a common title for Roman emperors since the times of the first Roman emperor, Augustus.

Tiberius was a highly unpopular emperor in his time, and was not fondly remembered. It would have been highly unlikely for Commodus to include his name in any of his own.

Answer: Cleander

Marcus Aurelius Cleander was a Roman freedman who enjoyed considerable favour with Commodus. He was prone to running the Roman government like an auction, giving the positions of power to the highest bidders. He fell from power when there was a grain shortage in 190 AD, a shortage which the Roman people blamed him for. There were riots, and when Commodus asked the people what they wanted, they demanded Cleander's execution. Commodus was happy to grant their request. After Cleander was executed Commodus decided he no longer trusted advisors, and became more involved in governing Rome himself.

Saoterus was once chamberlain under Commodus, until he was implicated in the plot on his life orchestrated by Tigidius Perennis (a praetorian prefect) in 182 AD.

Answer: Poisoning

On New Years Eve in 192 AD, Commodus' mistress, Marcia was involved in a plot to end her lover's life. She put a strong poison in Commodus' drink, but he vomited the poison up, with him thinking this was his over-indulgence in drinking too much alcohol in a hot bath. This was not an uncommon occurrence for Commodus to make himself ill from drinking, so the emperor was not suspicious.

Prior to this, Marcia has discovered a tablet that Commodus had written on. It contained plans to have her killed, followed by Laetus and Eclectus. They agreed to poison him to save their own lives.

Answer: Narcissus

As Commodus continued to vomit the poison, Marcia and her co-conspirators became frightened that he would survive the poisoning and impose his wrath on them once he had recovered. They promised a young nobleman, Narcissus, a huge financial reward if he could finish the assassination. Narcissus obliged, accosting Commodus in the bath (or in his bed, according to Herodian) as he was weak and ill from the poison, strangling him to death. It was an undignified end for a Roman emperor, and Commodus' memory did not retain any dignity either. The Senate was reeling from years of abuses of power, incompetence, threats of violence, and violence from Commodus, and they scrubbed his name and memory from every inscription across Rome. Cassius Dio describes Commodus' removal from Roman memory as such:

"Cast the gladiator into the charnel-house. He who slew the Senate, let him be dragged with the hook. Let the murderer be dragged in the dust!"

Answer: Hadrian's Mausoleum

Hadrian's Mausoleum is located in Rome, and its construction began in the 120s. Its original purpose (the funerary aspect of the building) was completed by the time of Hadrian's death in 138 AD. It was fully completed under the reign of Antoninus Pius in 139 AD.

Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius were also buried there. Considering how Commodus was detested by the time he had died aged 31, it is somewhat impressive that he was given a burial in the place of his beloved father, as opposed to being thrown in the Tiber. Roman citizens had suggested such a fate for Tiberius, and Commodus was arguably more hated by the Senate than he was.