Pertinax: The Son of a Slave Who Became Roman Emperor

by Simon Elliott

The son of a former slave, Pertinax was the Roman Emperor who proved that no matter how lowly your birth, you could rise to the very top through hard work, grit and determination.

Born in AD 126, he made a late career change from working as a grammar teacher to a position in the army. As he moved up the ranks and further along the aristocratic cursus honorum, he took on many of the most important postings in the Empire, from senior military roles in fractious Britain, the Marcomannic Wars on the Danube, to the Parthian Wars in the east. He held governorships in key provinces, and later consulships in Rome itself. When Emperor Commodus was assassinated on New Year's Eve AD 192/193, the Praetorian Guard alighted on Pertinax to become the new Emperor, expecting a pliable puppet who would favour them with great wealth. But Pertinax was nothing of the sort and when he then attempted to reform the Guard, he was assassinated. His death triggered the beginning of the Year of the Five Emperors' from which Septimius Severus, Pertinax's former mentoree, became the ultimate victor and founder of the Severan Dynasty.

This previously untold story brings a fascinating and important figure out of the shadows. A self made everyman, a man of principle and ambition, a role model respected by his contemporaries who styled himself on his philosophising predecessor and sometime champion Marcus Aurelius, Pertinax's remarkable story offers a unique and panoramic insight into the late 2nd century AD Principate Empire.

• ISBN13: 9781784385255
• Publish Date: 15 September 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Greenhill Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Pertinax is a well written layman accessible historical biography of the Roman emperor Pertinax. Due out 30th Sept 2020 from Pen & Sword on their Greenhill Books imprint, it's circa 240 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a careful and well written story of an emperor who might otherwise have been simply a footnote in the history books. As the short lived (3 months) first of the emperors whose assassination marked the start of the year of the five emperors, Pertinax was a self made man who moved up through the ranks from the lowest to the highest social strata.

The book is meticulously annotated throughout. The author has cited both period and modern scholarly research to support the narrative. There are numerous chapter notes, a timeline, and an index. The bibliography notes alone will keep keen readers reading for ages. Probably the most engaging part of the book for me were the numerous photos of buildings and artifacts which give a comprehensive context for the history. It was strangely moving to see the places where Pertinax himself traveled and lived.

The author has a casual academic style of writing; accessible and careful, with proper annotation, but not overly convoluted or impenetrably difficult to read. He manages to convey a wealth of information without being pedantic or preachy. I also really enjoyed reading the historical timeline provided by the author which showed how closely Pertinax's rise to power was intertwined with place, with social development and expansion, and with the other men of influence who lived contemporaneously (and who were eventually responsible for his downfall).

This would be a great choice for libraries, military historians, ancient historians, students of Roman/Empire history, early British history, and similar.

Five stars. It's abundantly clear that the author has poured prodigious effort and careful academic research into this tome. I can't imagine there's much left unanswered about the history or reign of Pertinax. I feel much enlightened anyhow. Despite being a student of Latin for many years (and a product of 7+ years of formal Latin instruction) and a huge military history nerd, I had only the mildest familiarity with Pertinax (or the year of the 5 emperors).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.