THE AFRICAN EMPEROR, the life of Septimius Severus

304pp., colour illus., hardback, Icon Books, London, 2025

ISBN: 9781837731725

A biography of Lucius Septimius Severus. Born in Leptis Magna, in present-day Libya, in AD 145, he was Emperor of Rome from AD 193 until his death in AD 211 in Eboracum (now York in England).

The author argues that Severus was the most powerful person ever born in Africa, based on his military and political agency: he commanded more Roman legions than any other emperor and, under his rule, permanent Roman territory was expanded to its greatest extent.

"A brilliant account of a great Emperor who brought a distinctive African insight to the continental Roman way of war. Severus exploited the advantages that flowed from command of the sea, critically so in his last campaign, when his brilliant use of naval power laid the foundations for a British sea empire, one that would follow in the footsteps of Carthage." Andrew Lambert, author of The British Way of War

"A seminal work. Elliott has produced not only the most comprehensive account of the life of one of Rome's most important emperors, but critically, rather than just biographising Severus, he puts his reign into perspective with an exploration of race and society in second and third century Rome. A must-have biography for any student of ancient Rome." Simon Turney, author of Agricola: Invader

Simon Elliott is a historian, archaeologist, author and broadcaster based in Kent in England. He has published several books on Roman history, including Vandal Heaven: Reinterpreting Post-Roman North Africa (2024).