thumb|Medal of Elagabalus, Louvre Museum. Inscription: Some recent historians paint a more favourable picture of the emperor's rule. Martijn Icks, in Images of Elagabalus (2008; republished as The Crimes of Elagabalus in 2011 and 2012), doubts the reliability of the ancient sources and argues that it was the emperor's unorthodox religious policies that alienated the power elite of Rome, to the point that his grandmother saw fit to eliminate him and replace him with his cousin. He described ancient stories pertaining to the emperor as "part of a long tradition of 'character assassination' in ancient historiography and biography".
thumb|medal of elagabalus louvre museum inscription some recent historians paint a more favourable picture of the emperor's rule martijn icks in images of elagabalus (2008; republished as the crimes of elagabalus in 2011 and 2012) doubts the reliability of the ancient sources and argues that it was the emperor's unorthodox religious policies that alienated the power elite of rome to the point that his grandmother saw fit to eliminate him and replace him with his cousin he described ancient stories pertaining to the emperor as "part of a long tradition of 'character assassination' in ancient historiography and biography"