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See also: Roman emperor (A.D
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218-222), was See also: born at Emesa about 205
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His real name was Varius Avitus
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On the See also: murder of Caracalla (217), Julia Maesa, Varius's grandmother and Caracalla's aunt, See also: left See also: Rome and retired to Emesa, accompanied by her grandsons (Varius and See also: Alexander Severus)
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Varius, though still only a boy, was appointed high
See also: priest of the Syrian See also: sun-See also: god Elagabalus, one of the chief seats of whose worship was Emesa (Horns)
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His beauty, and the splendid ceremonials at which he presided, made him a See also: great favourite with the troops stationed in that See also: part of See also: Syria, and Maesa increased his popularity by spreading reports that he was in reality the illegitimate son of Caracalla
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Macrinus, the successor and instigator of the murder of Caracalla, was very unpopular with the army; an insurrection was easily set on See also: foot, and on the 16th of May 218 Varius was proclaimed emperor as See also: Marcus Aurelius See also: Antoninus
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The troops sent to quell the revolt went over to him, and Macrinus was defeated near See also: Antioch on the 8th of See also: June
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See also: Heliogabalus was at once recognized by the senate as emperor
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After spending the winter in See also: Nicomedia, he proceeded in 219 to Rome, where he made it his business to exalt the deity whose priest he was and whose name he assumed
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The Syrian god was proclaimed the chief deity in Rome, and all other gods his servants; splendid ceremonies in his honour were celebrated, at which Heliogabalus danced in public, and it was believed that secret See also: rites accompanied by human sacrifice were performed in his honour
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In addition to these affronts upon the See also: state See also: religion, he insulted the intelligence of the community by horseplay of the wildest description and by childish See also: practical joking
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The shameless profligacy of the emperor's See also: life was such as to See also: shock even a Roman public
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His popularity with the army declined, and Maesa, perceiving that the soldiers were in favour of Alexander Severus, persuaded Heliogabalus to raise his See also: cousin to the dignity of Caesar (221), a step of which he soon repented
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An attempt to murder Alexander was frustrated by the watchful Maesa
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Another attempt in 22 2 produced a See also: mutiny among the See also: praetorians, in which Heliogabalus and his See also: mother Soemias (Soaemias) were slain (probably in the first See also: half of See also: March)
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