Onyx cameo bust of Caracalla. Culture: Roman. Dimensions: H.: 1 1/16 x 15/16 in. (2.7 x 2.4 cm). Date: ca. A.D. 211-217.
Caracalla succeeded to the imperial throne when his father, Septimius Severus, died in Eburacum (modern York, England) in A.D. 211. After disposing of his brother and co-emperor, Geta, Caracalla embarked on a number of military campaigns that took him to the Rhine and Danube frontiers. In A.D. 216, he launched a major expedition against Parthia, but he died in mysterious circumstances near Carrhae (modern Harran, Turkey) the following year.