A Roman emperor was branded transgender by a British museum, causing an uproar among historians.
North Hertfordshire Museum has decided to refer to the third-century AD ruler Elagabalus as “she” in a bid to be “sensitive” to her pronoun preferences in an exhibition.
The council-run museum in Hithcin, which consults with LGBT charity Stonewall, owns a coin minted during the government and uses it for LGBT-themed exhibitions.
The decision is based on the account of Roman chronicler Cassius Dio, who claims that Elagabalus was “called wife, mistress and queen,” told a lover, “Call me not lord, for I am a lady,” and demanded that female Genitals present were designed for him.
But Dio served the emperor Severus Alexander, who took the throne after Elagabalus was assassinated, and historians believe the reports were merely character assassination.
The decision is based on the account of the Roman chronicler Cassius Dio, who claims that Elagabalus (depicted riding a chariot drawn by women) was referred to “as wife, lover and queen.”
North Hertfordshire Museum has decided to refer to the 3rd century AD ruler Elagabalus as “she”.
Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, professor of classical literature at Cambridge, told the Telegraph: “The Romans didn’t have our idea of ’trans’ as a category, but they used the accusation of sexual behavior ‘as a woman’ as one of the worst insults.” Men.’
What other historical figures could be described as “trans”?
Joan of Arc
The French leader was portrayed as non-binary in a play at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.
In the 2022 production “I, Joan,” the title character was referred to as “she/her.”
The Globe Theater defended the move at the time, insisting that Shakespeare “would have been right.”
Elizabeth I
In an essay written for the same theater, an academic argued that Queen Elizabeth I may have been non-binary.
The trans awareness trainer Dr. Kit Heyam referred to the Virgin Queen with “she/her” pronouns and said that the monarch “regularly described herself as ‘King’, ‘Queen’ and ‘Prince’ in speeches.”
Keith Hoskins, executive member for arts at North Herts Council, said: “Elagabalus definitely preferred the pronoun ‘they’ and that is something we take into account when talking about her in modern times.”
The young emperor Elagabalus had a monstrous reputation as a ruler and was compared by scholars to better-known tyrants such as Caligula and Nero when it came to his wickedness and vices.
At one party, he had several of his guests tied to a waterwheel, which spun slowly and drowned them while their horrified fellow guests watched. In another extraordinarily sadistic prank, he released dozens of leopards and lions among his guests after they had finished eating.
He once released poisonous snakes into the crowd at the gladiatorial games, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. And in another example of his brutality, he threw gold and silver from a high tower and watched as a crowd of citizens struggled to grab them, many dying in the crush.
It was also known that Elagabalus dressed exclusively in precious silk and adorned himself with precious stones. The young emperor apparently also dreamed of surrounding himself with a new Roman Senate made up entirely of women.
He was only made emperor thanks to the machinations of his grandmother Julia Maesa, whose nephew Caracalla had been emperor for eight years until he was stabbed to death by an army commander.
Adamant that Rome should be ruled again by a member of her family, Julia turned to her 14-year-old grandson Elagabalus, who was growing up in the Syrian town of Emesa, a remote outpost of the Empire.
The young emperor Elagabalus had a monstrous reputation as a ruler and was compared by scholars to better-known tyrants such as Caligula and Nero when it came to his wickedness and vices
North Hertfordshire Museum owns a coin minted during the reign of Elagabalus and uses it for LGBT-themed exhibitions
He was said to be an exceptionally good-looking youth, with a short military haircut and bright eyes. Elagabalus had devoted his early years to the worship of the local sun god Elagabalus, after whom he was named.
Rumor has it that Elagabalus had consulted his doctors about an early version of a sex change operation and had taken a number of male lovers with him.
He is said to have spent his days in the company of women in his palace, singing, dancing, weaving and wearing hairnets, eye make-up and rouge.
“The soldiers were outraged at the sight of him,” wrote an ancient historian. “Since his face was made up more elaborately than that of a modest woman, he dressed femininely, wearing gold necklaces and soft clothing, and dancing so that everyone could see him in this state.”
Elagabalus was killed in March 222 AD, just four years into his reign, by his own soldier who rebelled against his tyrannical methods.