CARACALLA (198-217)

"Death at Carrhae" On April 8, 217 CE (four days after his 29th birthday), Caracalla was assassinated while traveling from Edessa to a temple near Carrhae. He was killed by an officer of his personal guard, Julius Martialis, during a stop when the emperor was relieving himself. The Greek historian Herodian notes that Martialis' brother had been executed on Caracalla’s orders a few days prior, possibly motivating the murder. Martialis himself was also killed shortly after.

Cassius Dio offers a different account, suggesting that a young legionary killed the emperor out of resentment for not being promoted to centurion. The soldier struck Caracalla with a single, but fatal, sword blow. Interestingly, the location of Caracalla's death was near the site of Rome's infamous defeat by the Parthians in 53 BCE.