During the Severan Dynasty, women from the Julian family of Emesa (modern-day Homs) in Syria, who were married to the Severan men, exerted enormous and often crucial influence over Roman government policies and events. Thus, Cassius Dio informs us that Julia Domna, Emperor Septimius Severus' wife, not only wielded immense power during her husband's tenure, but also actively and publicly oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Roman Empire throughout the reign of her slightly unbalanced son, Caracalla. How To Empress: First Imperial Women Of Rome Sex and the Roman Empire: Scandalous Literature about Empresses Euphemia and Theodora Caracalla, an emperor who received mixed evaluations, ruled for only five years. During this time, he murdered his co-ruler, his brother Geta, and his supporters, increased soldier pay, waged campaigns in the East where Macrinius was to be assassinated and enacted the Constitutio Antoniniana (“Antonine Constitution”), which extended Roman citizenship throughout the Roman empire. Read moreSection: Ancient WritingsNewsGeneralHistoryAncient TraditionsFamous PeoplePremiumPreviewRead Later