Family and priesthood Elagabalus

elagabalus born around year 203 sextus varius marcellus , julia soaemias bassiana. father member of equites class, later elevated rank of senator. grandmother, julia maesa, widow of consul julius avitus, sister of julia domna, , sister-in-law of emperor septimius severus. had @ least 1 sibling: unnamed elder brother. mother, julia soaemias, cousin of roman emperor caracalla. other relatives included aunt julia avita mamaea , uncle marcus julius gessius marcianus , among children, son severus alexander. elagabalus s family held hereditary rights priesthood of sun god elagabal, of whom elagabalus high priest @ emesa (modern homs) in roman syria.

the deity elagabalus venerated @ emesa. form of god s name latinized version of syrian ilāh hag-gabal, derives ilāh (a semitic word god ) , gabal (an arabic word mountain ), resulting in god of mountain, emesene manifestation of deity.

the cult of deity spread other parts of roman empire in 2nd century; dedication has been found far away woerden (netherlands), near roman limes. god later imported , assimilated roman sun god known sol indiges in republican times , sol invictus during second , third centuries ce. in greek sun god helios, hence heliogabalus , hybrid conjunction of helios , elagabalus .