In his first Étude Historique, R. Chateaubriand described the reign of the emperor Heliogabalus as ‘la fin… d’un monde’. It was likely the reading of Chateaubriand that led Huysmans to shape Des Esseints’s fascination with Tertullian, whose composure and abstinence enabled him to live à rebours during the age of Heliogabalus, while the Roman Empire tottered and the follies of the court swept everything away before them. If Huysmans defined Heliogabalus as ‘l’étonnant grand-prêtre d’Emèse’, H. Sidebottom is more direct, defining him as the mad emperor and an image of Rome’s decadence. Despite choosing such a strong title, the author is facing the negative tradition of Heliogabalus, without any prejudice, as an historian ought to, especially a Severan specialist (see, for example, Sidebottom, H. [2007]. ‘Severan historiography: Evidence, patterns, and arguments’. In S. Swain, S. Harrison, and J. Elsner [eds.], Severan culture, 52–82. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

After a brief presentation of the sources (Introduction, 1–11), the author structures the book chronologically, starting with Syrian revolt of 218 (Chapter 1, 13–47), and the battle against Macrinus (Chapter 3, 68–96). From the very beginning, the author pairs a detailed account of events with more pedagogical sections that summarize the major concepts and themes of Roman history so that the non-specialist reader can truly grasp the meaning of the events. For example, in discussing Heliogabalus’s family (Chapter 2, 48–67), the author introduces the long path of the Emesan family’s integration into the Roman Empire by summarizing relevant Roman history and myths about the granting of citizenship (48–55). By combining these two levels, the book proves both valuable to scholars of Roman history and accessible to enthusiasts of all backgrounds, thanks to its nearly novelistic style in some passages and the use of modern imagery, such as the comparison of a fragmentary papyrus and a damaged DVD (27) or Macrinus’s beard that ‘carried a freight of meanings unimagined by contemporary hipsters in London sushi bars’ (71). Moreover, from these opening pages, images, such as statues and coins, provide both detail and vitality to the narrative, illustrating, in P. Zanker’s words, the Macht der Bilder in Rome (take for instance the discussion about Maesa’s images [34–37]). Sometimes, this aim of engaging modern readers leads the author to approach very contemporary issues, such as the question of classical racism (97–101), while addressing the emperor’s Emesan identity (Chapter 4, 97–118).

Then, the author examines how Heliogabalus consolidated his power (Chapter 5, 119–149), securing the East and West by appointing loyal governors, suppressing revolts, and executing former collaborators. Before turning to the shape of Heliogabalus’s rule, widely portrayed as far from the way an emperor meant to behave, H. Sidebottom includes a theoretical chapter on the emperor’s legal status (Chapter 6, 150–167). He opens with a brief overview of Augustus’s restoration of the Republic (150–153) and then challenges Millar’s influential ‘Petition and Response Model’ (Millar, F. [1977]. The Emperor in the Roman World: 31 BC–AD 337. London: Thames & Hudson), which casts the emperor as largely passive (153–159). The author instead advances a more active view of imperial authority, arguing that the emperor was required to make continual choices in his dealings with Rome’s four key constituencies: the Senate, the urban plebs, the army, and the familia Caesaris (159–167). Heliogabalus failed to balance these groups, yet his reign clearly illustrates this more active model of imperial power. So, in his presentation of Heliogabalus’s rule (Chapter 7, 168–202), the author defines him through his choices: first, those he rejected, such as the role of the emperor as war leader and man of culture (173–178), and then those he accepted, including his juridical and diplomatic functions, his personnel policy, the management of his court, and his relationship with the Roman plebs (178–201). While the previous section focused on Rome, the author turns to Heliogabalus’s provincial policy in Chapter 9 (232–248), showing his unpopularity in the provinces through their reluctance to adopt the new Emesan cult and the various forms of dissent over his taxation policies.

The religious innovations and sexual extravagances, which stand out as the defining features of the emperor’s life in the Historia Augusta, are explored by the author in two thematic sections. First, to introduce the relationship between emperors and religion and their perceived participation in the divine, H. Sidebottom challenges Price’s public and political interpretation of Roman religion (Price, S. [1984]. Rituals and Power: The Roman Imperial Cult in Asia Minor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), emphasizing the distinctly divine role Romans could attribute to their emperor. He then examines the Emesan cult and its promotion by Heliogabalus, explaining why Romans, despite their usual openness to religious innovation, rejected it: the displacement of Jupiter’s preeminence and the public display of liturgical practices far removed from Roman tradition (Chapter 8, 203–231). Regarding sexuality, H. Sidebottom shows that the numerous sexual extravagances of the prince were not simply a literary topos applied to bad emperors. Although these behaviours were widely viewed as signs of utter decadence and condemned by most Romans, the author demonstrates, through the study of certain documents, that others embraced this new image of the prince positively (Chapter 10, 249–264).

The description of Heliogabalus’s death is very accurate. The author begins by meticulously retracing the events from Alexianus’s appointment as Caesar in June 221 to the final confrontation in March 222, comparing the sources to reconstruct the conflict between the two cousins during the first three months of 222. He emphasizes, against some overly critical readings, the influence of women (Chapter 11, 265–288). Then, in a new section (Chapter 12, 289–300), he retraces the events of the following day: first, through images, he examines Heliogabalus’s damnatio memoriae (289–295); then, he explains why the four constituencies of Roman society came to despise him, marking one of the most spectacular failures in Roman history (295–300). In a last section (Chapter 13, 301–316), Sidebottom returns to the sources introduced at the beginning of the book to clarify their criticisms and reflect on their influence, which ensured the effects of the damnatio memoriae endured for eighteen centuries.

In conclusion, this book provides an excellent general introduction to Heliogabalus and his era, accessible to a wide audience. Students and specialists will find many details often omitted from broader surveys, as well as numerous critical insights, which readers can fully appreciate by consulting the bibliography and endnotes available on the publisher’s website (https://oneworld-publications.com/work/the-mad-emperor/).