The Mad Emperor: Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome, by Harry Sidebottom (2022) does not really live up to its title. It is neither a full-fledged biography of the emperor nor a commentary on the state of Roman life.
At least a third of the text could more accurately be described as historiography for the more general reader. The author spends part of each chapter explaining why he chose to believe and follow one of the three ancient sources available. These are Cassius Dio, Herodian, and the Augustan History (Scriptores Historiae Augustae). Most CANE readers at least know of Dio. Herodian was a contemporary of his and believed to have been a minor civil servant, but his life is vague. In recent scholarship (according to Wikipedia) his reputation has improved, but in almost every case of conflict our author opts for Dio with explanation of his reasons. The Scriptores Historiae Augustae was written 2 or 3 centuries later in Constantinople by an unknown author, although it claims to be a compilation of several authors. Modern scholarship regards most of it as fictional and so does Sidebottom.
As a professor myself I was very annoyed by the total lack of footnotes and references. In many places he writes something like “the traditional view was *** but more recently scholars think +++.” I would have liked a reference or two to both viewpoints. This is probably due to the authors’ recent writings; although he has a doctorate from Oxford and is a lecturer there, he has produced many books of historical fiction set in the Roman empire. (My reference here is, again, Wikipedia.)
In the Introduction the author devotes some time to the correct name of this emperor. He was born as Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus, came to the throne as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. He is normally referred to in modern writings (from Gibbon on) as either Elagabalus or Heliogabalus. The author uses Heliogabalus so as not to confuse the reader with his God, Elagabal.
Despite my qualms and annoyances, however, I found the book interesting and stimulating. It can serve as an introduction to this early third century period which is often treated very skimpily in histories.
By Daniel A. Bronstein, Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University