A Brotha Ruled the Roman Empire?!

As I was walking through the expansive National Museum of Rome, I ran across this bust and thought, "Dang, that could be a brotha." As it turns out, it was! Severus Alexander was the last ruling emperor of Rome from the dynastic family Severus. Septimius Severus (A.D. 193-211) was an African by origin and was the first emperor of the dynasty, followed by sons Caracalls & Geta.

When people ask pro-black me, "Why Europe?" this is one of the primary reasons, aside from being relatively safe to travel alone. The influence of Africa, a short long swim away, is evident from the Moorish rule of Spain to the torrid love affair and ultimate conquest of Mark Anthony & the beautiful Cleopatra (the real one, not the Liz Taylor one) to the impressive obelisks that dot Rome to the ruling Severus family. The African stamp on European history is clear and present.

Stolen from Africa

At least 8 obelisks were taken from Egypt after the Roman conquest and brought to Rome. They still stand today throughout the city, and they are beautiful. There was one from Ethiopia, but it was given back to the Egyptian government in 2005.