# Commodus The first fact about Commodus is a source warning. Cassius Dio Book 73 in Loeb English at https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html is a senator who says he watched the arena. The Loeb scan at https://archive.org/details/diosromanhistory09cassuoft is the same tradition. Herodian in public English at https://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodian-s-roman-history/ is a second Greek narrative, also hostile. Britannica at https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus and Livius at https://www.livius.org/articles/person/commodus/ are the independent summaries. The Capitoline Hercules bust at https://museicapitolini.org/en/opera/busto-di-commodo-come-ercole is stone, not a joke. British Museum coin types at https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection are a non-literary check. The Historia Augusta Commodus life at https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Commodus*.html is a late compilation of low reliability — colour, not tape. 182 purge, prefect-falls, grain-riot favourite, living Hercules, arena, Colonia Commodiana, then a palace murder. What the score must not say: that HA is a daybook; that damnatio is his statute; that Severus’s later rehabilitation is his affiliation; that Dio’s beast-counts are a census; that the 180 peace is proved cowardice rather than a dated halt. Confidence is high on 180, 192, and the Hercules object; medium on purge totals; low on HA. Related people are Marcus, Lucilla, Faustina the Younger, Perennis, Cleander, Marcia, Laetus, Pertinax. 17 March 180 is not 31 December 192. Renaming is not damnatio. Remaining dated instruments kept after dropping later editions, museums, and split rows: 0177-01-01 (offset, driver `democratic-resilience`): Marcus Aurelius makes Commodus Caesar then co-emperor in 176–177 as received — official Britannica — Commodus (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus); independent Cassius Dio Book 73 (Loeb English) — Commodus (https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html). 0178-01-01 (offset, driver `humanitarian-access`): Commodus is present on Marcus’s late Danubian campaigns as received — official Britannica — Commodus (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus); independent Livius — Commodus (https://www.livius.org/articles/person/commodus/). 0180-03-17 (cost, driver `democratic-resilience`): Commodus becomes sole emperor on Marcus Aurelius’s death, 17 March 180 — official Britannica — Commodus (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus); independent Cassius Dio Book 73 (Loeb English) — Commodus (https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html). 0180-10-01 (offset, driver `humanitarian-access`): Commodus concludes a settlement on the Danube and returns to Rome, ending Marcus’s last war as received — official Britannica — Commodus (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus); independent Herodian, Roman History — Livius English (https://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodian-s-roman-history/). 0185-01-01 (cost, driver `institutional-corruption`): The praetorian prefect Tigidius Perennis is removed and killed about 185 as received — official Cassius Dio Book 73 (Loeb English) — Commodus (https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html); independent Herodian, Roman History — Livius English (https://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodian-s-roman-history/). 0190-01-01 (cost, driver `institutional-corruption`): The chamberlain Cleander is killed in a 190 grain-riot crisis as received — official Cassius Dio Book 73 (Loeb English) — Commodus (https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html); independent Herodian, Roman History — Livius English (https://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodian-s-roman-history/). 0191-01-01 (cost, driver `political-polarization`): Court portraiture presents Commodus as Hercules, as in the Capitoline bust type — official Capitoline Museums — Bust of Commodus as Hercules (MC1120) (https://museicapitolini.org/en/opera/busto-di-commodo-come-ercole); independent Britannica — Commodus (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus). 0192-01-01 (cost, driver `social-cohesion`): Hostile sources print Commodus’s public appearances as gladiator and beast-hunter in the arena — official Cassius Dio Book 73 (Loeb English) — Commodus (https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html); independent Herodian, Roman History — Livius English (https://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodian-s-roman-history/). 0192-01-01 (cost, driver `political-polarization`): Commodus renames Rome Colonia Commodiana and recasts institutions and months under his name as received — official Cassius Dio Book 73 (Loeb English) — Commodus (https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html); independent Britannica — Commodus (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus). 0193-01-01 (cost, driver `political-polarization`): The senate condemns Commodus’s memory after his death; that damnatio is aftermath, not his act — official Britannica — Commodus (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus); independent Historia Augusta, Commodus — LacusCurtius (unreliable late compilation) (https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Commodus*.html). Later Loeb, UNESCO, and encyclopedia pages are evidence, not additional acts. The honest deficiency is that a 30-Fact / 10-Article / 10-News numeric gate cannot be met from securely dated instruments without attributing later editors to the name. Portrait URL is a Wikimedia photograph of the Capitoline Commodus-as-Hercules bust; a later museum image of a court marble is not a sitting photograph. Country is stored as Roman Empire. Role is stored as Roman emperor, sole rule 180–192. ## Dated facts - 193: The senate condemns Commodus’s memory after his death; that damnatio is aftermath, not his act. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-damnatio-aftermath. Sources: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Commodus*.html, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus. - Commodus is assassinated on 31 December 192 in a palace plot involving Marcia, Laetus, and Narcissus as received. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-assassination-192. Sources: https://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodian-s-roman-history/, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html. - 192: Marcia, Eclectus, and Laetus form the palace plot that ends in Commodus’s murder as later Dio/Herodian tell it. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-marcia-eclectus-laetus-plot. Sources: https://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodian-s-roman-history/, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html. - 192: Commodus renames the twelve months after his names and titles as Dio prints it. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-month-renaming-192. Sources: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Commodus*.html, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html. - 192: Commodus renames Rome Colonia Commodiana and recasts institutions and months under his name as received. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-colonia-commodiana-192. Sources: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus. - 192: Hostile sources print Commodus’s public appearances as gladiator and beast-hunter in the arena. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-arena-appearances. Sources: https://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodian-s-roman-history/, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html. - After the great fire of Rome about 191, rebuilding of damaged public fabric proceeds under Commodus as received. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-fire-rebuild-191. Sources: https://www.livius.org/articles/person/commodus/, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html. - 191: Court portraiture presents Commodus as Hercules, as in the Capitoline bust type. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-hercules-bust. Sources: https://museicapitolini.org/en/opera/busto-di-commodo-come-ercole, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus. - A 190 grain shortage and Circus riot bring Cleander down after Marcia urges his death as received. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-grain-crisis-190. Sources: https://www.livius.org/articles/person/commodus/, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html. - The denarius is further debased around 190 in the reign chronology Livius flags. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-denarius-debasement-190. Sources: https://www.livius.org/articles/person/commodus/, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Commodus. - The chamberlain Cleander is killed in a 190 grain-riot crisis as received. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-cleander-190. Sources: https://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodian-s-roman-history/, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html. - 189: Under Cleander’s dominance, consulships and governorships are sold as Dio and later lives print it. https://factrail.ai/facts/com-cleander-sale-offices. Sources: https://www.livius.org/articles/person/commodus/, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/73*.html. ## Methodology https://factrail.ai/methodology Canonical: https://factrail.ai/people/commodus