Dio's Rome, Volume 5: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English FormCassius Dio Cocceianus
History
Dio's Rome, Volume 5: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English Form
Cassius Dio Cocceianus
Rome -- History
L. Fabius Septimius Cilo (II), L. Flavius Libo. (A.D. 204 = a.u. 957 =
Twelfth of Severus).
M. Aur. Antoninus Aug. (II), P. Septimius Geta Caesar. (A.D. 205 = a.u.
958 = Thirteenth of Severus).
Nummius Albinus, Fulv. Aemilianus. (A.D. 206 = a.u. 959 = Fourteenth of
Severus).
Aper, Maximus. (A.D. 207 = a.u. 960 = Fifteenth of Severus).
M. Aur. Antoninus Aug. (III), P. Septim. Geta Caesar (II). (A.D. 208 =
a.u. 961 = Sixteenth of Severus).
Civica Pompeianus, Lollianus Avitus. (A.D. 209 = a.u. 962 = Seventeenth of
Severus).
M. Acilius Faustinus, Triarius Rufinus. (A.D. 210 = a.u. 963 = Eighteenth
of Severus).
Q. Epid. Ruf. Lollianus Gentianus, Pomponius Bassus. (A.D. 211 = a.u. 964
= Nineteenth of Severus, to Feb. 4th).
[Sidenote: A.D. 202 (a.u. 955)] [Sidenote:--1--] Severus to celebrate the
first decade of his reign presented to the entire populace accustomed to
receive dole and to the soldiers of the pretorian guard gold pieces equal
in number to the years of his sovereignty. He took the greatest delight in
this achievement, and, as a matter of fact, no one had ever before given
so much to whole masses of people. Upon this gift five hundred myriads of
denarii were expended. Another event was the marriage between Antoninus,
son of Severus, and Plautilla, the daughter of Plautianus. The latter gave
as much for his daughter's dowry as would have sufficed for fifty women of
royal rank. We saw the gifts as they were being carried through the Forum
into the palace. We were banqueted, likewise, in the meantime, partly in
royal and partly in barbarian fashion on whatever is regularly eaten
cooked or raw, and we received other animal food also alive. At this time,
too, there occurred all sorts of spectacles in honor of Severus's return,
the completion of his first decade, and his victories. At these spectacles
sixty wild boars of Plautianus upon a given signal began a combat with one
another, and there were slain (besides many other beasts) an elephant and
a crocotta. [Footnote: Hesychius says of this beast merely that it is a
quadruped of Aethiopia. Strabo calls it a cross between wolf and dog.
Pliny (Natural History, VIII, 21 (30)) gives the following description:
"Crocottas are apparently the offspring of dog and wolf; they crush all
their food with their teeth and forthwith gulp it down to be assimilated
by the belly."
Again, of the Leucrocotta:
"A most destructive beast about the size of an ass, with legs of a deer,
the neck, tail and breast of a lion, a badger's head, cloven hoof, mouth
slit to the ears, and, in place of teeth, a solid line of bone."
Also, in VIII, 30 (45), he says:
"The lioness of Ethiopia by copulation with a hyaena brings forth the
crocotta."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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