Commodus the Gladiator Emperor

Decline and Fall

By: Charles Giuliano - Nov 24, 2016

Commodus the Gladiator Emperor

Tipping point
When and why
Empires decline and fall
Perhaps Commodus (161-192 AD)
Twelve year
Reign of terror
Ending in assassination
Son of Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD)
Last of Five Good Emperors
Philosopher King
Platonic ideal
Like Alexander
Tutored by Aristotle
His Meditations
Still read
Commander on the Rhine
Holding the line
Empire of 55 million
Rome itself
City of a million
He slept in tents
Not palaces
Toughened his son
To no avail
Made peace with tribes
Indifferent to detail
Devoted to pleasure
Corruption prevailed
Delegated power
Played and betrayed
Sister Lucilla
Seducing senators
Plotted his death
Killed her
Chaos reigned
Cleander blamed
Plague and famine
City burned
Vowed to rebuild
In his name
Proclaimed
Fourteen days of games
Fifty thousand
Shouted his name
Mob hysteria
In the arena
Fought as gladiator
Killed weakened opponents
Guise of Hercules
Anointed by Jupiter
Dismantled senate
Renamed Rome
Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana
Months of calendar
Dedicated to him
No end of excess
Orders to kill enemies
Real and imagined
Murdered by Narcissus
Gladiator and trainer
Chaos prevailed
Civil War
Year of Five Emperors
Ever more divided
The end itself
More whimper than bang
476 AD when unopposed
Child Emperor deposed
Odovacar walked in
Refusing the purple
Byzantium prevailed
Until 1453
Defeated Constantinople
Became Islam's Istanbul
Two and a half centuries
After Commodus
When things fell apart
All down hill
Like us perhaps
Until like Rome
Finally over
When it was over