A museum in the United Kingdom has recently undertaken a rebranding initiative, portraying the Roman emperor Elagabalus as a transgender individual. The North Hertfordshire Museum in Hitchin has drawn on classical texts, including purported statements attributed to the emperor, such as “call me not Lord, for I am a Lady,” recorded by the Roman historian Cassius Dio.
The museum has chosen to adopt she/her pronouns in reference to Elagabalus, who held the throne from 218 to 222 AD. This decision aligns with an effort to be considerate and respectful by identifying appropriate pronouns for historical figures, according to Keith Hoskins, the executive member for Enterprise and Arts at North Herts Council, which is involved in the museum’s management.
However, the move has sparked a division of opinions among experts. Mary Beard, the author of “Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World,” acknowledged the complexity of the matter, stating to TIME magazine, “This is as tricky [an] area in the ancient world as it is now. What is said by Romans about Elagabalus powerfully reminds us that debates about the boundaries between male and female go back thousands of years (we are not the first generation to have those debates).”
The LGBTQ+ collection at the museum includes a coin featuring Elagabalus, providing an additional layer to their decision.
Elagabalus, known for marrying individuals of both genders, presents a historical puzzle concerning pronoun usage, with conflicting interpretations of Dio’s writings. Some experts argue that Dio’s references to Elagabalus wearing makeup and wigs may have been efforts to undermine the emperor’s authority rather than indications of his transgender identity.
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