Historical dossier · 161 – 192 AD (Ancient Rome)
Commodus
The Gladiator Wannabe
Marcus Aurelius’ disappointing son who renamed Rome "Colonia Commodiana", renamed the months of the year after his own twelve aliases, and forced amputees and dwarfs to battle him in the Colosseum with wooden swords.
The historical record
More than the legend
Commodus ruled as co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius and then as sole emperor from 180 to 192. Ancient accounts describe his public gladiatorial performances and identification with Hercules, though those sources were often hostile. His reign included political purges and conspiracies, and he was assassinated in 192.
A fictional first-person defense
In their own (invented) words
I was not avoiding the work of government; I was relocating it to a venue with better seating. As Hercules, I could demonstrate imperial strength directly, and the Senate could watch from a safe distance while I defeated opponents who were, by a curious coincidence, required to lose. Rome called this spectacle. I called it stakeholder engagement.
This satirical monologue is original fiction, not a historical quotation.
The part the excuses leave out
The arena appearances and imperial self-presentation are central to Commodus's reputation, but details come through ancient narratives with political biases. His staged contests were not equal contests, and his reign's violence should not be mistaken for harmless theater.