Ahve, and welcome to Emperor of Rome, a Roman history podcast from Latrobe University.

I'm your host Matt Smith and with me today is Dr. Kalin Davenport, lecturer in Roman history at

Macquarie University. This is episode L-X-X-I-V, The African Emperor.

The Roman Empire shudders in the wake of Commodus's death, which, if you recall, was a matter of months

but a whole two emperors ago. Striding into Rome at the

head of an army is Septimius Severus, ready to set the right path and form a powerful

new dynasty. He's Kalin Davenport. Septimius Severus is another senatorial general,

but he's of a different breed to Pertanax. He is almost like a workhorse. He's a man whose career has been going along, he rises up through the ranks, but he doesn't seem particularly distinguished. Indeed, if you asked out of all the governors of important

provinces under the reign of Commodus who was going to be emperor who wouldn't have said

Septimius Severus. I've been reading a lot of Dio and the Augustin histories at this point.

His name hasn't come up at all.

You know, we've heard about Pertanax, we've heard about Claudius Pompeius all the way through these previous emperors and there's been no mention of Septimius Severus.

So he seems to be somebody who's very much gone under the radar, hasn't distinguished himself hugely, hasn't been involved in the Imperial Circle at all.

No, I mean his career has suffered a few setbacks as well.

So, you know, the fact that he becomes Emory. His career has suffered a few setbacks as well.

So the fact that he becomes Emperor in 193 is really quite extraordinary.

I mean, even his rivals, Clodius albinus and Paskinius Niger, you know, distinguish

themselves in warfare under Commodus.

So it's an interesting twist of fate that we end up talking about Septimius Severus founding

the Severin dynasty, which would continue the legacy of the Antonines.

So can we talk about his early life?

What do we know about his origins, where he was born?

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