Talk by Dr Simon Elliott on the life of Roman emperor Septimius Severus, from his birth in Leptis Magna to his death in York, followed by a Q&A.
Dr Simon Elliott is coming to Verulamium Museum on Monday 23 November to talk about the life of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus. It's a long story that stretches across the empire: Severus was born in Leptis Magna in North Africa in AD 145 and died in York in AD 211, and the talk follows him from one end to the other.
He was a warrior emperor at the height of Rome's power, and he left his mark on a lot of ground. Under his rule, the Roman military reached a peak of 33 legions, and he led the largest army ever to campaign in Britain — 50,000 men. He spent much of his reign building and rebuilding across the empire: a good deal of the forum Romanum and the imperial palaces in Rome are Severan, as is his hometown of Leptis Magna and the Roman cities in the Atlas Mountains. Even the land walls that still define London's Square Mile were delineated under him.
He died in the undercroft of York Minster, and his final words were a piece of deathbed advice for his two sons: 'Be of one mind with your family, enrich the soldiers, and despise the rest.'
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in St Albans and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
The talk is given by Dr Simon Elliott FSA, an award-winning archaeologist, historian and broadcaster with a PhD in Classics and Archaeology from the University of Kent. It runs for about an hour and is followed by a Q&A, so there's time to ask questions after he's finished. The museum opens at 6:30pm and the talk starts at 7:00pm at Verulamium Museum, St Michael's Street, St Albans AL3 4SW.
