Image Gallery
Caracalla (Artistic Facial Reconstruction)
Caracalla (r. 211-217 CE) ascended to the throne with his brother Geta (r. 211 CE), whom he murdered before the year was out. Like his father, Caracalla placed a high value on the Roman army and spent much of his reign waging wars in Europe and the east. He left much of the day-to-day administration of the empire to his mother Julia Domna (160-217 CE). One of Caracalla’s most important edicts extended citizenship to all free people living within the borders of the Roman Empire in 212 CE. He was a popular emperor, although his cruel streak and mercurial nature led to his assassination by Macrinus (r. 217-218 CE), a Praetorian Prefect, in 217 CE.
Pictured alongside the reconstruction are the busts and statuary used as references. These include busts from the Vatican Museum (top left) and Metropolitan Museum of Art (top right); the Severan Tondo; and the bust from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
