Abstract

In their descriptions of the assassination of Caracalla, Cassius Dio and Herodian employed a similar narrative that was hostile to Macrinus and likely developed by his successor, Elagabalus. The differences in their accounts can be traced to each author’s historical views and attitude toward the individuals involved. Dio’s account is affected for the most part by his view that Macrinus overstepped the bounds of his social status. Herodian, on the other hand, has molded his version of the events to conform to a narrative of tyrant-slaying, as in the stories of Harmodius and Aristogeiton and the assassination of Caligula.

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