en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus
3 corrections found
the fleet which imported grain from Africa was termed Alexandria Commodiana Togata
This mixes up two different renamings. Ancient and modern sources say Commodus renamed Carthage "Alexandria Commodiana Togata," while the African grain fleet was called "Commodiana Herculea."
Full reasoning
The article’s wording conflates a city name with a fleet name.
The ancient source Historia Augusta says Commodus:
- organized an African fleet as a backup if Alexandrian grain shipments were delayed, and
- named Carthage "Alexandria Commodiana Togata,"
- after naming the African fleet "Commodiana Herculea."
In other words, "Alexandria Commodiana Togata" refers to Carthage, not the African grain fleet. The fleet’s name is given separately as "Commodiana Herculea."
A modern archaeological discussion of the same passage repeats this distinction explicitly, quoting the Latin and translation: Commodus "named Carthage 'Alexandria Commodiana Togata', after entitling the African fleet 'Commodiana Herculea'."
So the sentence in the post is incorrect because it assigns the name Alexandria Commodiana Togata to the fleet, whereas the sources assign that name to Carthage.
2 sources
- Historia Augusta • Life of Commodus
He did organize an African fleet, which would have been useful, in case the grain-supply from Alexandria were delayed. He jestingly named Carthage Alexandria Commodiana Togata, after entitling the African fleet Commodiana Herculea.
- The auxiliary grain fleet of Commodus
He did organize an African fleet, which would have been useful, in case the grain-supply from Alexandria were delayed. He jestingly named Carthage 'Alexandria Commodiana Togata', after entitling the African fleet 'Commodiana Herculea'.
The following year, he became the youngest emperor and consul up to that point, at the age of 16.
Commodus was 15, not 16, when he became consul and was elevated to co-ruler.
Full reasoning
This sentence gets Commodus’s age wrong.
Reliable sources date Commodus’s birth to August 31, 161. They also place his elevation to Augustus/co-emperor in 177, and one scholarly source states explicitly that he was "consul for 177 (at fifteen)".
Because Commodus was born at the end of August 161, he was 15 for most of 177. So when he became consul in 177—and when he was elevated to co-ruler in that same year—he was not yet 16.
The article itself later says he became consul on 1 January 177, "aged 15," which is consistent with the external sources and confirms that the lead’s age of 16 is incorrect.
3 sources
- A Timeline of Commodus (Getty)
August 31, 161 AD—Commodus is born in Lanuvio, Italy ... 177—Commodus is elevated to the rank of Augustus, serving officially as co-emperor along with his father Marcus Aurelius
- In the Shadow of Augustus: Succession
consul for 177 (at fifteen), was granted tribunician powers and acquired the cognomen of Augustus, thereafter, outwardly sharing power with his father.
- Oxford Classical Dictionary: Commodus, Lucius Aurelius, Roman emperor, 180–192 CE
received imperium and tribunicia potestas at the end of 176, and was consul in 177, now Augustus and co-ruler.
The 2017 docu-drama miniseries Roman Empire: Reign of Blood retells his story.
The Commodus season of Roman Empire: Reign of Blood premiered in 2016, not 2017.
Full reasoning
This gets the release year wrong.
Multiple entertainment databases list Roman Empire: Reign of Blood (the Commodus season) as premiering on November 11, 2016 on Netflix, not in 2017. Rotten Tomatoes dates the season and its episodes to Nov. 11, 2016, and other cataloging sources list the series/season as first aired in 2016.
So the article’s year for this miniseries is off by one year.
3 sources
- Roman Empire (TV Series 2016–2019) - IMDb
Roman Empire: Reign Of Blood: Season 1 ... November 11, 2016 (United States)
- Roman Empire - TheTVDB.com
Roman Empire Reign Of Blood ... First Aired November 11, 2016 ... Season 1 - Commodus: Reign of Blood | November 2016 | 6
- Roman Empire: Reign of Blood | Rotten Tomatoes
Reign of Blood – Roman Empire Nov 2016 ... Episode 1 Aired Nov 11, 2016 Reign of Blood: Born in the Purple