Caracalla & Geta: The Real Emperors of Gladiator II
The Ancients
History Hit
4.7 • 3.5K Ratings
🗓️ 14 November 2024
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The new Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator II features two of Rome's most villainous emperors - the brothers Caracalla and Geta.
And in today's episode of The Ancients were delving into the real history of these scheming siblings. Their story is a blood-stained and chilling one. It stretches from their opulent upbringing to their tumultuous rivalry and culminates with a brutal murder in front of their very own mother in 211 AD. Joined by Alex Imrie, Tristan explores how much we really know about Caracalla and Geta, their rise to power and their relationship - or perhaps lack of one.
Presented by Tristan Hughes. The producer is Joseph Knight, audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
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Transcript
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| 1:10.4 | It's early 211 AD. |
| 1:12.4 | The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus lies on his deathbed in York. |
| 1:17.7 | His two sons, already proclaimed emperors, stand nearby. |
| 1:22.9 | They young and roughly the same age, both have enjoyed incredibly lavish upbringings, driving chariots around Rome, |
| 1:30.7 | pampered by yesmen, and indulging in the countless luxuries of palace life. But there's one |
| 1:37.3 | massive problem. They cannot stand one another. Hatriads between these two brothers ran deep. |
| 1:45.3 | Severus wanted his two sons to rule together to display peace and harmony, |
| 1:50.0 | coexisting and cooperating at the peak of power. |
| 1:53.9 | But these two young men, well, they had a very different idea. |
| 1:58.2 | As soon as their father died, the clock was ticking, and it would end in blood, |
| 2:03.6 | in murder, in fratricide. It's The Ancients on History Hit. I'm Tristan Hughes, your host, |
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