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See also: Marcus See also: Antoninus, emperor of See also: Rome, son of Marcus Aurelius and See also: Faustina, was See also: born at Lanuvium on the 31st of See also: August 161
.
In spite of a careful See also: education he soon showed a fondness for low society and amusement
.
At the age of fifteen he was associated by his See also: father in the See also: government
.
Oh the See also: death of Aurelius, whom he had accompanied in the war against the Quadi and Marcomanni, he hastily concluded See also: peace and hurried back to Rome (18o)
.
The first years of his reign were uneventful, but in 183 he was attacked by an assassin at the instigation of his See also: sister
Lucilla and many members of the senate, which felt deeply insulted by the contemptuous manner in which Commodus treated it
.
From this See also: time he became tyrannical
.
Many distinguished See also: Romans were put to death as implicated in the conspiracy, and others were executed for no reason at all
.
The See also: treasury was exhausted by lavish See also: expenditure on gladiatorial and See also: wild beast combats and on the soldiery, and the See also: property of the wealthy was confiscated
.
At the same time Commodus, proud of his bodily strength and dexterity, exhibited himself in the See also: arena, slew wild animals and fought with gladiators, and commanded that he should be worshipped as the See also: Roman Hercules
.
Plots against his See also: life naturally began to spring up
.
That of his favourite Perennis, See also: praefect of the praetorian guard, was discovered in time
.
The next danger was from the See also: people, who were infuriated by the dearth of corn
.
The See also: mob repelled the praetorian guard, but the execution of the hated See also: minister Cleander quieted the tumult
.
The attempt also of the daring highwayman Maternus to seize the See also: empire was betrayed; but at last Eclectus the emperor's See also: chamberlain, Laetus the praefect of the
See also: praetorians, and his See also: mistress Marcia, finding their names on the See also: list of those doomed to death, See also: united to destroy him
.
He was poisoned, and then strangled by a wrestler named See also: Narcissus, on the 31st of See also: December 192
.
During his reign unimportant See also: wars were success-fully carried on by his generals See also: Clodius Albinus, Pescennius See also: Niger and Ulpius See also: Marcellus
.
The frontier of See also: Dacia was success-fully defended against the Scythians and Sarmatians, and a See also: tract of territory reconquered in See also: north Britain
.
In 1874 a statue of Commodus was dug up at Rome, in which he is represented as Hercules—a See also: lion's skin on his See also: head, a See also: club in his right and the apples of the See also: Hesperides in his See also: left See also: hand
.
See Aelius Lampridius, Herodian, and fragments in Dio Cassius; H
.
Schiller, Geschchte der romischen Kaiserzeit ; J
.
Ziircher, " Commodus " (1868, in Budinger's Untersuchungen zur romischen Kaisergeschichte, a See also: criticism of Herodian's account); Pauly-Wissowa, Realencydopadie, ii
.
2464 if
.
(von Rohden) ; Heer, " Der historische Wert See also: des Vita Commodi " (Philologus, Supplementband ix.)
.
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