The Mad Emperor: Heliogabalus and the Decadence of Rome (H.) Sidebottom. Pp. xiv + 338, ills, maps. London: OneWorld Publications, 2022. Cased, £20. ISBN: 978-0-86154-253-6.

In his first Étude Historique, R. Chateaubriand described the reign of the emperor Heliogabalus as 'la fin : : : d'un monde'.It was likely the reading of Chateaubriand that led Huysmans to shape Des Esseints's fascination with Tertullian, whose composure and abstinence enabled him to live à rebours during the age of Heliogabalus, while the Roman Empire tottered and the follies of the court swept everything away before them.If Huysmans defined Heliogabalus as 'l'étonnant grand-prêtre d'Emèse', H. Sidebottom is more direct, defining him as the mad emperor and an image of Rome's decadence.Despite choosing such a strong title, the author is facing the negative tradition of Heliogabalus, without any prejudice, as an historian ought to, especially a Severan specialist (see, for example, Sidebottom, H. [2007].'Severan historiography: Evidence, patterns, and arguments'.In S. Swain, S. Harrison, and J. Elsner [eds.],Severan culture, 52-82.Cambridge: