THE EMPEROR COMMODUS: GOD AND GLADIATOR

Author: John McHugh

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Year published: 2015

Pagination: 293pp, 3 maps, 37 b/w illustrations

Condition: Fine in d/w. Slight binding imperfection

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Commodus is synonymous with debauchery and megalomania, best remembered for fighting as a gladiator. Ridiculed and maligned by historians, much of his infamy is clearly based on fact, but is this the real story? This book sets his twelve-year reign in its historical context, showing that the 'kingdom of gold' he supposedly inherited was actually an empire devastated by plague and war. Openly autocratic, Commodus compromised the privileges and vested interests of the senatorial clique, who therefore plotted to murder him. Surviving repeated conspiracies only convinced Commodus that he was under divine protection.