Narcissus (wrestler)

Narcissus (born 2nd century A.D.) was a Roman athlete,<ref name="cassius 117">Cassius Dio, Roman History, Book LXXII, pg. 117.</ref><ref name="lampridius 306">Lampridius, Historia Augusta. "Life of Commodus," pg. 306.</ref> likely a wrestler,<ref name="herodian i">Herodian of Antioch, History of the Roman Empire from the Death of Marcus Aurelius to the Accession of Gordian III, I.i.; Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1.4.</ref> from the 2nd century AD. He assassinated the Roman emperor Commodus in 192 AD.

Life and work

Narcissus was employed as a wrestling partner and personal trainer to Commodus in order to train him for his self-indulgent appearances in the Colosseum as a gladiator.<ref name="lampridius 306" /><ref name="herodian i" />

In AD 192, several senators, led by Praetorian prefect Quintus Aemilius Laetus, recruited Narcissus to assassinate the emperor after a previous failed attempt by the conspirators.

On 31 December 192, Commodus's concubine<ref name="lampridius 306" /> and conspirator Marcia poisoned Commodus's wine. The poison failed, so Narcissus entered Commodus's bedchamber.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Commodus was supposedly in a drunken stupor after Marcia had poisoned him<ref name="cassius 117" /> and Narcissus proceeded to strangle Commodus in his bathtub<ref name="cassius 117" /> or, according to Herodian, in his bed.<ref name="herodian i" />

Death

Narcissus was executed during the series of civil wars after Commodus's death.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>