Synopsis:  Caracalla cuts a murderous path through Rome, and provokes a dangerous war with Parthia.  After his murder, Julia Domna is forced to contend with a would-be usurper.

“Julia Domna deserved all that the stars could promise her.  She possessed, even in advanced age, the attractions of beauty, and united to a lively imagination a firmness of mind, and strength of judgement, seldom bestowed on her sex.  Her amiable qualities never made any deep impression on the dark and jealous temper of her husband; but in her son’s reign, she administered the principal affairs of the empire, with a prudence that supported his authority, and with a moderation that sometimes corrected his wild extravagancies.” – Edward Gibbon, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 1, Chapter 6

The Bloodline Family Tree – Part I

https://audio.ancientworldpodcast.com/B33_Bloodline01.pdf

The Bloodline Family Tree – Part II

https://audio.ancientworldpodcast.com/B33_Bloodline02.pdf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices