“Call me not Lord, for I am a Lady,” said Rome’s most notorious Empress to one of her many lovers, Zoticus.
Elagabalus, born in 203AD as Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus in Syria, is a fascinating figure in Roman history. Elagabalus reigned as Empress from 218 – 222, a short four year term that was unfortunately cut short by assassination.
Called a variety of different names by historians, Elagabalus remains a somewhat enigma in the historical sphere. Genderfluid, effeminate man, transgender, genderqueer. No matter what she would have called herself, we know for certain that Elagabalus was gender diverse and queer by today’s standards.
For the purposes of this article, I will be referring to her using she/her pronouns and as a transwoman as that is how I have interpreted the records of her life; but I, as anyone else, could be completely wrong.
Elagabalus changed her name to refer to the Arab-Roman sun god, Elagabal, as her family had a hereditary priesthood office for the god. It was during the time serving under Elgabal with her family that she gained the favour of many soldiers, military men, and officials through dance ceremonies, wooing the hearts of many.
It should be noted here however, that often in Ancient Rome, both young girls and boys were sexualised and praised in said ways, Elagabalus was no exception to this, boosting her popularity amongst the populace.
This affection from those in high places came to serve her well after her cousin Caracalla, the current Emperor, was murdered. Caracalla was briefly replaced by the man who ordered the hit on him, Macrinus. Though he was widely disliked and was quickly replaced by Elagabalus due to theories that she wasn’t actually Caracalla’s cousin, but secret illegitimate child, thereby being the next heir to the throne. Given her prowess among the people who were making said decision, the 15 year old soon came into power.
Elagabalus did not stop wearing what she pleased when she came to the throne. She adorned feminine robes, wore elaborate makeup, and continued wearing her many wigs. She was seen as sexually promiscuous and eccentric, going against many of the traditional Roman values and practices.
Unused to the power she held, the newly crowned teenager often made some questionable decisions. This included selecting mostly unqualified people for roles around the city. It was rumoured that these were people that she’d had sexual relations with. Nonetheless, this was how a barber ended up being in charge of the city’s grain supply!
Though one of the most shocking things she did during her reign was to allow women into the senate. This sent shockwaves throughout Rome and it became the very first thing to be reversed after she died.
Not only was her fashion, appointment of officers, and government orders controversial, but so were her lovers. A bisexual queen (quite literally), she had four wives and two husbands throughout her life. Two of her wives were Vestal Virgins, priestesses of the Roman god Vesta who had sworn oaths of lifelong chastity who would face often fatal consequences if those oaths were broken. This didn’t seem to bother Elagabalus. Whatever she wanted, she would get.
Her two husbands consisted of Hierocles and Zoticus. Hierocles was a charioteer and ex-slave who had caught her eye. During their marriage she would refer to herself as his wife and as “Hierocles’ queen.” She also married Turkish athlete, Zoticus, to whom she said her famous quote:
“Call me not Lord, for I am a Lady.”
Despite all of this, the biggest piece of evidence for Elagabalus being a transwoman was her desire to have female genitalia.
It was said that she would offer cast amounts of money to any surgeon who believed they could perform the surgery on her. As reported by Cassius Dio, she:
“asked the physicians to contrive a woman’s vagina in [her] body by means of an incision, promising large sums for doing so.”
Although this is debated, since bias is always inevitable and Dio may have said this in order to tarnish her reputation further.
No matter her gender identity, Elagabalus was a controversial and vastly hated ruler. She often disregarded tradition, was rumored to frequent taverns and brothels in disguise, and held elaborate and luxurious banquets with Syrian dishes of which the Romans really did not like. She was sexually promiscuous with guards, unfaithful to her spouses, and used much of the state’s money to hold outrageous parties and languished in her riches and power.
Elagabalus remains as controversial now as she was when she lived, but there is no more denying that Elagabalus was queer and gender-diverse, something history tried and failed to erase.
– Written by Alec Yorke (he/him)
References:
Elagabalus: The Genderqueer Ruler of Rome. (n.d.).
Mijatovic, A. (2012). A Brief Biography of Elagabalus: the transgender ruler of Rome ·
Challenging Gender Boundaries: A Trans Biography Project by Students of Dr. Catherine Jacquet · OutHistory: It’s About Time. Outhistory.org. https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/tgi-bios/elagabalus
Was Elagabalus Rome’s first transgender Emperor? (n.d.). Sky HISTORY TV Channel.
https://www.history.co.uk/articles/was-elagabalus-rome-s-first-transgender-emperor
