Is the past a foreign country? For hundreds of years, Roman emperor Elagabalus has been known as a man. But now some say he was actually a transgender woman.
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The Roman emperor who was a trans woman
Is the past a foreign country? For hundreds of years, Roman emperor Elagabalus has been known as a man. But now some say he was actually a transgender woman.
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">What's happening? </h2>
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, or "Elagabalus", was not ancient RomeOne of the largest empires in the ancient world. 's most famous emperorRuler of an empire..
He became leader aged 14 and was killed just four years later.
But now, 1,800 years later, his name is being spoken again. A museum in England has announced it believes Elagabalus was a transgenderSomeone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology). woman.
Elagabalus is said to have worn make-up and wigs and asked to be called a lady rather than a lord.
But historians cannot know how much of this true. There is little information about his time in power.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Find out more </h2>
Many historians believe some stories about Elagabalus might have been made up by his enemies. The claim that he wanted to be treated as a woman, they argue, might have been made up by people who wanted to spread the idea he was unmanly.
The Romans, they say, did not think about the idea of people being transgender - so it is not really right to talk about a "transgender emperor".2
But others argue that the Romans may have had different ideas about gender to our own. Roman stories are full of people who changed their genderA person's gender identity (whether they feel like a man, woman or something else) is not the same as their biological sex (which is determined by genitals, hormones or chromosomes)..
So, they say, we should recognise the truth of LP HartleyA British novelist, born in 1895.'s famous saying: "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."
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<h5 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Is the past a foreign country?</strong></h5>
Yes! We cannot put our own ideas onto the past. Things were very different in the past, including ideas about gender.
No! We know that ancient Rome was a place that often valued men over women. We cannot forget that transgender people may have faced danger there.
Ancient Rome - One of the largest empires in the ancient world.
emperor - Ruler of an empire.
Transgender - Someone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology).
Gender - A person's gender identity (whether they feel like a man, woman or something else) is not the same as their biological sex (which is determined by genitals, hormones or chromosomes).
LP Hartley - A British novelist, born in 1895.
The Roman emperor who was a trans woman
Bitter end: Elagabalus was murdered by his own soldiers and replaced with his cousin. Glossary
Ancient Rome - One of the largest empires in the ancient world.
emperor - Ruler of an empire.
Transgender - Someone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology).
Gender - A person's gender identity (whether they feel like a man, woman or something else) is not the same as their biological sex (which is determined by genitals, hormones or chromosomes).
LP Hartley - A British novelist, born in 1895.