The teenage Roman Emperor Heliogabalus (also called Elagabalus, c.203-222 AD) enjoyed one of the shortest, yet most sensational, reigns in Roman history. His bizarre cult of the Sun God with its human sacrifices, his sexual proclivities (including a lust for men with huge genitals) and his often homicidal caprices (such as suffocating dinner guests with an avalanche of rose petals) are now the stuff of legend. DEATH BY ROSES collects four key historical texts on Heliogabalus: Aelius Lampridius' scandalous "Life Of Heliogabalus" is accompanied by 3 in-depth essays on Heliogabalus' sexual psychology, extravagances, and religious cult, respectively. DEATH BY ROSES reveals the shocking facts and legends about one of Rome's most notorious, decadent and despised rulers.