{"product_id":"the-mad-emperor-heliogabalus-and-the-decadence-of-rome","title":"The Mad Emperor: Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhat happens when you put the Roman Empire in the hands of a teenage boy? The life and times of the worst Roman emperor of all.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat happens when you put the Roman Empire in the hands of a teenage boy? Discover the scandalous life and times of Rome's \u003ci\u003eworst \u003c\/i\u003eemperor. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Buy the book; it's very entertaining.' David Aaronovitch, \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOn 8 June 218 AD, a fourteen-year-old Syrian boy, egged on by his grandmother, led an army to battle in a Roman civil war. Against all expectations, he was victorious. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eVarius Avitus Bassianus, known to the modern world as Heliogabalus, was proclaimed emperor. The next four years were to be the strangest in the history of the empire. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHeliogabalus humiliated the prestigious Senators and threw extravagant dinner parties for lower-class friends. He ousted Jupiter from his summit among the gods and replaced him with Elagabal. He married a Vestal Virgin - \u003ci\u003etwice\u003c\/i\u003e. Rumours abounded that he was a prostitute. In the first biography of Heliogabalus in over half a century, Harry Sidebottom unveils the high drama of sex, religion, power and culture in Ancient Rome as we've never seen it before. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e***** \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBBC History\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSpectator \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eBook of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e'Combining the pace of a novelist, the training of a scholar and the instincts of a true historian, this is a wonderful exploration of the Roman world under its strangest emperor.'\u003cb\u003e Adrian Goldsworthy, author of \u003ci\u003ePax Romana\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e'The decadence, debauchery and sexual promiscuity that marked the adolescent's time on the imperial throne make for a rollicking read.' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e'Ancient history was never less dry than in Harry Sidebottom's superbly entertaining and always scholarly account of the reign of Heliogabalus... There is something for every reader: sex, politics, scandals and a compelling portrait of imperial society and culture.'\u003ci\u003e \u003cb\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Oneworld Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51944123007207,"sku":"9780861546855","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0449\/4075\/5096\/files\/imageloader_ac0e110d-e8b8-4148-8aed-4fd0228ddf34.jpg?v=1775353166","url":"https:\/\/arvidabookco.com\/products\/the-mad-emperor-heliogabalus-and-the-decadence-of-rome","provider":"Arvida Book Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}