The Day the Roman Empire Was Sold for Cash

Описание: In 193 AD, the Roman Empire was literally auctioned to the highest bidder. The Praetorian Guard—the emperor's elite bodyguards—murdered Emperor Pertinax, locked themselves in their fortress, and announced the throne was for sale. Two wealthy senators bid against each other for the most powerful position on Earth while armed soldiers ran the auction from the ramparts.

Didius Julianus won with a bid worth billions in modern currency. He ruled for 66 days before being executed. This wasn't just a coup—it was the moment Rome's protectors revealed they'd become predators, and the entire imperial system was exposed as a transaction enforced at sword-point.

This documentary investigates the psychological transformation that turned security into leverage, how proximity to absolute power corrupted the men meant to protect it, and why the auction of 193 AD was the death certificate for legitimate imperial succession in Rome.

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PRIMARY SOURCES:

Cassius Dio, "Roman History" (Books 73-74)
Herodian, "History of the Roman Empire" (Book 2)
Historia Augusta, "Life of Pertinax" and "Life of Didius Julianus"
Aurelius Victor, "De Caesaribus"

MODERN SCHOLARSHIP:

Anthony Birley, "Septimius Severus: The African Emperor" (1988)
Pat Southern, "The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine" (2001)
Adrian Goldsworthy, "How Rome Fell" (2009)
Boris Rankov, "The Praetorian Guard" (1994)

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE:

Castra Praetoria excavations and reconstructions
Numismatic evidence (coins of Pertinax, Julianus, and Severus)
Arch of Septimius Severus inscriptions
Praetorian Guard military diplomas and honorific inscriptions

Editorial Note: This documentary is a result of original research and human-led creative direction by the "Ancient Arsenal" team. Every factual claim, narrative structure, and the final script is rigorously verified, shaped, and written to ensure historical accuracy. While digital tools are utilized for visual reconstruction and asset generation to bring history to life, the storytelling and research remain a strictly human endeavor.