Gallien w „Historia Augusta”, czyli „sordidissimus feminarum omnium”

Abstract

The counterpoint to the portrayal of Gallienus in the "Historia Augusta" is the figure of Zenobia, queen of the Palmyre. Her depiction is extensive, yet the manner in which she was described provokes ambiguous assessments. Clearly, the descriptions both draw attention to the negative role of Zenobia in the history of Rome, express approval for a woman holding power, as well as refer to her as a woman who remains outside the world of politics. Such Zenobia is a certain literary creation and at the same a mirror reflecting the figures of Roman rulers, with Gallienus as one of them. In "Historia Augusta", Gallienus is an evil, inept ruler who drives the state to ruin. The references to women and to woman in politics are a vital element of this portrayal. Such evaluation of Gallienus is arrived at by means of the emperor's personality profile, according to which the ruler permits himself to behave like a woman, and subsequently by outlining Gallienus' reign and actions, whereby the emperor turns out to be worse than that particular woman, i.e. Zenobia, and worse even than women in general. As "Historia Augusta" seeks to demonstrate, the symptom and the measure of the pitiful state of Roman state under Gallienus is manifested in the idea that such unnatural association of women and imperial power might have appeared.