Emperor Elagabalus

The Most Dangerous Guest List in History: Inside the Lethal Dinner Parties of Emperor Elagabalus Imagine receiving an invitation to a state dinner at the Roman Imperial Palace. You arrive expecting the usual—fine wine, roasted meats, and polite conversation with the Senate’s elite. Instead, you find yourself sitting next to a man with a live leopard in his lap, wondering if the “lottery ticket” you were just handed will earn you a chest of gold or a bag of rotting entrails. Welcome to the world of Emperor Elagabalus, the teenage ruler of Rome whose reign between 218 and 222 AD turned the concept of hospitality into a high-stakes, often fatal, game of psychological warfare. ...