Why Was Rome's Emperor Commodus So Hated?

About this episode

This episode explores the life and legacy of Emperor Commodus, known for his cruelty and megalomania.

You may know him as the villain in the film 'Gladiator', but the real-life Emperor Commodus is said to have been even more cruel and megalomaniacal. Learn about his unusual upbringing, how he made himself into a gladiator and an image of Hercules, and his eventual assassination in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/commodus.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Hosts: BrainStuff, iHeartPodcasts

Topics covered

• Roman history
• Emperors
• Gladiators
• Assassination
• Cruelty
• Megalomania

Keywords

• Commodus
• Roman Empire
• Emperor
• Gladiator
• Hercules
• assassination
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Gladiator

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