Elagabalus (deity)

Elagabalus (/ˌɛləˈɡæbələs/), Aelagabalus, Heliogabalus, (/ˌhiːliəˈɡæbələs/) or simply Elagabal (Aramaic: 𐡀𐡋𐡄𐡀𐡂𐡁𐡋 ʾĕlāhaʾgabāl[1]) was an Arab-Roman sun god,[2] initially venerated in Emesa (modern-day Homs), Syria.

[3] Elagabalus was initially venerated at Emesa in Syria, where the Arab Emesan dynasty acted as its priests.

[13]Herodian also related that Elagabalus forced senators to watch while he danced around his deity's altar to the sound of drums and cymbals,[12] and at each summer solstice celebrated a great festival, popular with the masses because of food distributions,[14] during which he placed the holy stone on a chariot adorned with gold and jewels, which he paraded through the city: A six horse chariot carried the divinity, the horses huge and flawlessly white, with expensive gold fittings and rich ornaments.

[15] According to Cassius Dio, the Emperor also tried to bring about a union of Roman and Syrian religion under the supremacy of his deity, which he placed even above Jupiter,[16] and to which he assigned either Astarte, Minerva or Urania, or some combination of the three, as wife.

He reportedly also declared that Jews, Samaritans and Christians must transfer their rites to his temple so that it "might include the mysteries of every form of worship".