16. Could it be the Commodus was so dysfunctional because of his mother’s rumored infidelities?
According to some pop psychologists, the chances of Commodus growing up to be a well-adjusted adult were slim-to-none. The argument goes that, while his father might have been a thoughtful philosopher, his mother, Faustina the Younger, was a prime example of the sexual excesses of Rome. For centuries, she has been described as unfaithful maneater with an insatiable appetite. Certainly, the ancient historian Sextus Aurelius Victor described Faustina as a woman with notable vices. Similarly, 200 years later, Emperor Julian II, noted that Marcus Aurelius loved his wife despite the fact she was “not even a virtuous woman”.
She was alleged to have cruised the docks for young sailors to bed. What’s more, she was said to have seduced her husband’s generals and several senators and other members of the elite. But above all, Faustina became infamous for her alleged love of gladiators. The Historia Augusta even notes that she admitted an affair to her husband. Marcus Aurelius then consulted his soothsayers and was advised to have the gladiator killed and order Faustina to bathe in his blood. Another version even has the Emperor ordering the man to be killed while he and Faustina were in bed together!