Pertinax

The Son of a Slave Who Became Roman Emperor

By: Simon Elliot

Narrated by: Christopher Ashman

The son of a former slave, Pertinax was the Roman Emperor who proved that no matter how lowly your birth, you could rise to the very top through hard work, grit and determination.

Born in AD 126, Pertinax made a late career change from working as a grammar teacher to a position in the army. As he moved up the ranks and further along the aristocratic cursus honorum, he took on many of the most important postings in the Empire, from senior military roles in fractious Britain, the Marcomannic Wars on the Danube, to the Parthian Wars in the east. He held governorships in key provinces, and later consulships in Rome itself. When Emperor Commodus was assassinated, the Praetorian Guard alighted on Pertinax to become the new Emperor, expecting a pliable puppet. But Pertinax was nothing of the sort and when he then attempted to reform the Guard, he was assassinated. His death triggered the beginning of the "Year of the Five Emperors" from which Septimius Severus, Pertinax's former mentoree, became the ultimate victor.

This previously untold story brings a fascinating and important figure out of the shadows. A self-made everyman, a man of principle and ambition, a role model respected by his contemporaries, Pertinax's remarkable story offers a unique and panoramic insight into the late 2nd century AD Principate Empire.

©2020 Simon Elliot (P)2023 Tantor

Great Naration

Nearly 75% of the beginning discusses the Empire and its legions, Pertinax fully comes into play the final two chapters

Too Much “Scene-Setting”

The author spends an inordinate amount of time providing context for the thin information he shares about Pertinax. This isn’t necessarily his fault; primary sources about this period of Roman history are scant, indeed. But he relies heavily on the Historia Augusta, which is a problematic source (and if he offered a disclaimer to that effect, I missed it). For example, among the vast amount of context he slathers upon the reader is a blurb about the story of Pyrrhus in the 3rd century BC. Interesting as that tidbit may be, it’s not related closely enough to be part of a book about Pertinax who lived 400 years later. I hesitate to offer this characterization, but it’s an awful lot of filler and very little substance.