Six years before becoming Emperor, he married his second wife

Another interesting fact is that six years before becoming Emperor, he married his second wife. Septimius Severus, who was in his early thirties at the time, married Paccia Marciana, a woman from Leptis Magna, around 175. Marciana died of natural causes around the age of 186. Septimius Severus, now in his thirties, childless, and eager to remarry, began researching possible brides' horoscopes. According to the Historia Augusta, Severus heard of a woman in Syria whose marriage to a monarch had been prophesied, and he sought her as his wife. Julia Domna, an Emesene Syrian, was the woman in question. Julius Bassianus, a descendant of the Arab Emesene dynasty, was a high priest in the local cult of the sun god Elagabal. Julia Maesa, Domna's older sister, would become the grandmother of the future emperors Elagabalus and Alexander Severus.

In early 187, Bassianus accepted Severus' marriage proposal, and the couple married in the summer in Lugdunum (modern-day Lyon, France), of which Severus was governor. The marriage was joyful, and Severus admired Julia and her political views. Julia gained the most brilliant reputation by dedicating herself to letters and philosophy. Lucius Septimius Bassianus (after dubbed Caracalla, born 4 April 188 in Lugdunum) and Publius Septimius Geta were their two sons (born 7 March 189 in Rome).