The Bottom Line
Fun book on often tawdry subjects which gives a feel for some of the more dramatic aspects of the Roman empire.
Pros
- Quick look at many rarely seen Roman emperors.
- Source for historical trivia.
- Clever cartoons.
Cons
- Scandalous and titillating.
Description
- Chronological look at many of the emperors of Rome.
- Shows how the emperors either died or were pushed out of office.
- Clever and humorous cartoons show how serious this study ... isn't.
Guide Review - Review of Julius Cicatrix ' Imperial Exits
Julius Cicatrix' tiny "Imperial Exits" features many emperors and, in some chapters, more than one. Selection appears to be based on how well an emperor's end can be depicted by a funny cartoon. When diarrhea ended Vespasian's reign in A.D. 79, he went out uttering, "Oh dear! I think I'm becoming a god?" Lightning struck Carus in 283. Glycerus, in 474, was turned out of office and into a priest. Postumus, in 269, wouldn't let the troops plunder the Batavians, so they turned against him instead. Marcus Aurelius was an opium junkie and Maximin Daia, having eaten too much, slowed the effects of the fast-acting poison he'd taken and so died a gory, lingering death in 313.
