On 4 April 188 AD, in the Gallic city of Lugdunum, the son of the emperor Lucius Septimius Severus was born to the marriage with Julia Domna. His original name, Bassian, was changed to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. But in history this man was destined to remain under the nickname Caracalla—the name of the young man’s favorite garment.
In the novel “In the Days of Caracalla,” Antonin Ladinsky tells not only about the reign of the reckless emperor Caracalla, but also shows the everyday life, morals, and customs of the Roman Empire in the early third century.